Skip to main content

Full text of "History of Siskiyou County, California"

See other formats 


-R€l 


CALI FORNIANA 


Accession 


f917.943  W463 


440 284 


NOT  TO  BE  TAKEN  FROM  THE  LIBRARY 


34Z7-5M-4-37 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2011  with  funding  from 

California  State  Library  Califa/LSTA  Grant 


http://www.archive.org/details/historyofsiskiyoOOwell 


><**»-e^4^w<4^«>»*«^H><^HM<~^^ 


v^ST°^ 


OF 


SISKIYOU  COUNTY, 

CALIFORNIA, 
Illustrated  with  Views  of  Residences, 

Business  Buildings  and  Natural  Scenery, 

AND   CONTAINING 

PORTRAITS  AND   BIOGRAPHIES  OF  ITS  LEADING 
CITIZENS  AND   PIONEERS. 


D.  J.  STEWART  &  CO. 

OAKLAND,  CAL. 
l88l. 


»»W<»»»»»O»»»»»»<»»»»»»»»»»»»»O»»»»»»»»»OO«<^»0$$«^£^^ 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1881,  by 

D.  J.  STEWART  &  CO.. 

In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


i 


440284 


PACIFIC   PRESS, 

PRINTERS,  STEREOTYPERS  AND  BINDERS, 

OAKUAND,   CALIFORNIA 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


Chapter  I. 
California  Prior  to  the  American  Conquest 9-12 

Chapter  II. 
The  American  Conquest. 12-16 

Chapter  III. 
From  the  American  Conquest  to  the  Admission  into 

the  Union 16-18 

Chapter  IV. 
The  Trappers  in  California 18-24 

Chapter  V. 

The  Discovery  of  Gold. 24-28 

Chapter  VI. 
General  Description  of  Siskiyou  County 28-44 

Chapter  VII. 

Early  History  of  this  Region 44-54 

Chapter  VIII. 
Settlement  by  Gold  Seekers 55-64 

Chapter  IX. 
Siskiyou  County  as  a  Political  Body. 64-71 

Chapter  X. 
Elections  and  List  of  Officers. 71-77 

Chapter  XL 
Financial,  and  Public  Buildings 77-80 

Chapter  XII. 
The  Courts  and  Judiciary 80-93 


Chaptrr  XHI. 
Schools .93-97 

Chapter  XIV. 
Journalism. .98-99 

Chapter  XV. 
The  Death  Penalty 99-103 

Chapter  XVI. 
The  Court  of  Judge  Lynch 103-109 

Chapter  XVII. 

Scenes  and  Incidents 109-120 

Chapter  XVIII. 
Indian  Difficulties 120-144 

Chapter  XIX. 

The  Great  Modoc  War 144-160 

Chapter  XX. 
Transportation 160-168 

Chapter  XXI. 
Siskiyou  Patriotism 168-172 

Chapter  XXII. 
Societies,  Fire  Department,  and  Militia. . , 172-192 

Chapter  XXIII. 
Industries 192-196 

Chapter  XXIV. 
Local  Histories 196-218 


ALPHABETICAL    INDEX    BY    TOPICS 


-AND- 


Names  of  Prominent  Persons. 


Agricultural  Societies 184 

Agriculture 192 

Alcaldes 91,198,217 

Altitudes 31,  38 

Anthony,  E.  M 85,  86,  92,  207 

A.  O.  U.  W.  Societies 179 

Artesian  Well 193 

Assembly  Districts 73-77 

Assessment  Valuations 79,80 

Baird,  Capt.  Robert 169,  171,  188,  192 

Ballard,  Capt.  Thos.  N _  .87,  141,  200 

Bantz,  Thomas  A 75,  85,  87,  93, 102,  181,  206,  207 

Bar,  Aaron " ..176,  177,  213,  215 

Barber,  Jesse 171, 172, 200 

Bar  History 90 

Barkhouse  Creek _ 194 

Bassett,  James  M 89,  98,  180/186 

Bean,  Edmond 59,  62,  76, 121,  216 

Beard,  J.  S 93,  95, 176, 180, 181,  214 

Beaver  Creek _ _ 195 

Beem,  A.  A _ 166,212 

Bench  and  Bar ■ 90 

Berry,  Jehu 72,  73,  77,  92, 102 

"     John  G ....71,85,87,100 


Page. 

Berryvale .208 

Bestville 63 

Big  Bend  Fight _ 134 

Big  Valley  Township .66 

Black  Butte,  The _ .  .31 

Bloody  Point 123, 130 

Blackburn's  Ferry  Massacre 126 

Boles,  Alvy 104,  192,  199 

Boles'  Potatoes 199 

Bonds  of  the  County 78,  79 

Boundaries  of  County _■ ....  64-69 

"  Townships 64-69 

Boundary  Difficulty _ 67 

Brastow,  S.  D 161-163,  200 

Breweries 193 

Brunt  Outrage  at  Simonville 106 

Brown,  E.  V - -  .87, 176, 206 

Brown,  John  V 70,  75,  76,  170, 192,  214 

Budelman,  Henry 180,  214 

Burgess,  John  C 62,  75, 133,  204,  209 

Burns,  Albert  V 101, 169, 178, 192, 199,  205 

Burrows,  Albert  H 77,  166,  179-189 

Charles  E 74,  162,  169,  170,  181,  192,  202 

Butte  Creek  Region 207 


IV 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX  BY  TOPICS 


Page. 

Butte  Township 66 

Butteville 208 

( iabaniss,  Dr.  T.  T 73,  75,  153-1(50, 184,  212 

Cache  on  McLeod  River -  - -54 

California  and  Oregon  C.  0.  M.  Co. - -  -  -166 

Stage  Companv 165,  166 

Callahan,  M.  B -189,  201,  205,  211,  215 

Callahan's 215 

Campbell,  J.  C:.. - 57,63,211,214 

Ganbv,  General laO-160 

Carlock,  A. lam  I).  ...77,  162.167,170,175,  176,180,184, 

212,  213,  216 

( larrick,  Elijah 170, 177, 178,  200,  201.  206 

Cave  Fight -- - -134 

Caves.. 36,125,134 

Centennial  Celebration.. .:    172 

Champions  of  Honor . -.182 

Chase,  George  W. 74,  169,  175,  191 

Chronicle,  The  Siskiyou - 98 

Churches— Callahan's 215 

Cottonwood : -  -  -211 

Crystal  Creek -215 

Etna -  -  - -  - 214 

Fort  Jones 212 

LittleShasta 209 

Yreka 205 

Churchill,  Jerome 161,  170,  192,  201,  206,  209 

Clear  Lake 130,  137 

Cleland,  John  S 169,  172,  186,  189,  203-206 

Colton,  David  D.  .72,  73,  83,  98, 103,  107,  141,  185,  191, 

.204,  207 

Connor,  E.  W 76,  161, 171,  179, 192,  208 

Constables .86.90 

Cook,  John  D .64,  72,  77,  92,  100,  200,  201, 205 

Cosby,  John  D 72,  85,  91, 100, 141, 169, 171, 191, 200 

Cosby  Murder,  The 110 

Cosby's  Modoe  Campaign 141 

Cost  of  Organizing  the  County .72 

Cottonwood . . 194,  210 

Cottonwood  Township 65,  70 

County  Court . 83 

"       Officers _ ...71 

Court  of  Sessions _  _ _ 84 

Court  House 80 

Courts  and  Judiciary 80-89 

Crooks,  A.  D " .74,  75, 101, 102, 168, 205 

Crystal  Creek. 215 

Cummins,  J.  Lytle 73,  98,  180,  200,  201,  205 

Dasgett,  John .". 70,  77 

Dafngerfield,  William  P. 73,  82,  83,  93 

Davidson,  Dr.  D.  M 1 65,  73,  85,  99,  177,  213 

James  A 76, 176,  177,  180,  211 

James  M 83,  179,  189,  212 

Jeremiah 211,  214 

William _ 184,  193,  213,  216 

Davis  Daniel 62,  214 

"     Gen.  Jefferson  C 158-160 

Deadwood _ _ . 216 

Death  Penalty,  The 99 

Dejarlais  Brothers _ _  _  .200,  209,  218 

Denny,  Albert  H _ 89,  162,  167, 215 

DeWitt,  Elisha 77,  179,  180 

Robert  O 75,  172,  179,  185-190,  203  205 

Diggles,  Henry  J 170,  176-180,  184,  212-214 

James  A  176,  180,  212,  214 

Distances,  Table  of _ 39 

Distillery _ 393 

District  Court _   81 

Ditches 190 

Donnellan,  W.  L 130,  173 

Duel — Colton-Cabaniss _ lie 

"      Sham,  at  Scott  Bar... 109 

Duenkel,  William 76,  172,  185,  186.  190,  206 

Durand,  George. 75,  75,  88,  115 

I?}'-'11''  L-S---    ...146,  152-160 

Eastern  Star  Lodges 179 

Eclampus  Vitus _ ".   .      108,  111 

1 ;,:     r'on,  Calvin ..93,  102,172!  204 

Edgewood.. 40,208 

"        Division,  S.  of  T .  182 

Edson's  station  (Gazelle) 208 


Page. 

Edwards,  Diary  of  Col.  P.  L .45 

Eel  River 56 

Election,  First  County 71 

"        to  Annex  Klamath  County 69 

Statistics,  1852  to  1880. .._"._ 71-77 

Engine  Companies 188,  189 

"       Houses 185 

Ensign,  F.  E 73,  74, 171, 177, 184,  186, 192 

Escapes  from  Jail 101,  102,  110 

Etna 213 

Eureka  City 58 

Evans,  W.  J 77,  144,  197,  209,  215 

Executions 99-101,  160 

Express  Lines  and  Robberies 161, 163 

Factories .193 

Fair,  Capt,  W.  D 92,  98,  205 

"     Disappearance  of  Sheriff _  _ 113 

"     Samuel  P. .  65,  73,  98,  100,  101,  109, 113,  164,  185,- 

188,  200,  202 

Fairchild,  Lucius  'See  Elijah  Steele's  Biography) 

Fairchilds,  John  A 75,  76,  144-160.  209 

Fafa,  Louis 89,  178-181 

Fanning,  William  R 123-126 

Farren,  S.  M 85,  87,  89,  191,  192,  205 

Fellows,  Joseph  S 169,  186,  190,  206,  208, 

Ferris,  Hiram  G 64-84,  98,  108,  200 

Financial 77 

Fiock,  George 130,  146 

Fire  Department 184 

Fire  in  Cottonwood ..210 

"     "    Deadwood... 216 

"     '•   Fort  Joues 212 

"     "  Yreka .199,  202,  203,  204 

"     ofl871. ...203 

"     Ordinance .184,  185 

First  Child  in  Scott  Valley 212 

"  Yreka 198 

Floods .41-43 

Fort  Jones. 212 

Foulke,  L.  M 74,  75,  204 

Foundry  and  Machine  Shops 193 

Freaner,  James  L 65,  161, 171 

Freetown 209 

Fremont  Attacked  by  Modocs 51 

French  Bar _ .  .217 

Frenchman  Hanged  in  Yreka . 106 

"  Whipped  on  Scott  River 104 

Frenchtown 210 

Fruit, ... 192,  193 

Furber,  Dr.  George  C 74,  75,  168,  189,  200,  205 

Fur  Companies 18-24 

Garter,  E 74,  83,  93,  101 

Gas  in  Yreka 202 

Gatliff,  Dr.  W.  H. 106,  200 

Gazelle 207 

Geiger,  E.  M.  and  R,  C 134,  136,  210 

Gillem,  Colonel 150-160 

Gillett,  A.  V 109,  200,  201,205 

Gillis,  Hudson  B . . . 70,  76, 77,  93,  177, 186,  189 

Godfrey,  Grove  K 75,  76,  85,  87,  205,  211,  217 

Gold  Bluff  Excitement. .. 62 

"     Discovery  in  Siskiyou .60-62 

"     Early  Discoveries 25-28 

"     First  Mining  on  the  Trinity 55 

Goodwin  Wingdam  Suit _ 90 

Good  Templars 182 

Goose  Lake 30,  137 

"    Nest 36 

Greathouse  Brothers _  _ 162,  165,  205 

Green,  Robert  S .75,  85,  88,  89, 170-177, 192,  213 

Greenhorn 60,  61,  194,  207 

War 107 

Grist  Mills 193 

Grizzly  Bear  Story 217 

Grouse  Creek . . 195 

Grow,  Capt.  William 74,  175,  192 

Hallick,  John  G 87,  133-136,  188,  189,  207 

Hamburg  Bar 59,  218 

Hamilton,  Isaac 128,  177 

Hanging  Illegal - 103,106,  129.  138 

Legal 99-102,160 


AND  NAMES  OF  PROMINENT  PERSONS. 


Hansen,  Jacob. 176,  186,  190,  210 

Happy  Camp - _ .  .59,  127 

Hartsou,  Execution  of  Danforth 100 

Hawkins,  A 74,  75,  140,  191,  206 

Hawkinsville 194,  207 

Heard,  George  and  Elijah 174,  209.  211 

Hearn,  Dr.  Fleming  G 62,  167,  171,  175-179,  197-206 

Heartstrand,  P.  A 171,  192,  21 1-214 

Hendricks,  John .101,  167,  181 

Henly 210 

Herzog,  Charles _ 130,  169 

Hooperville . 216 

Horn,  David .151,  176-184, 213 

Horsley,  F.  C ..73,74,205 

S.  C 85,  87,  161 

Hospital  Building .80 

Hot  Spring  on  Mt.  Shasta 31,  32 

Township 67 

Hovey,  William  A 74,  75,  171 

Howard,  Asa. . . : 216 

Humboldt  Bay 56,  59 

"  Countv 69 

Humbug  City. . . ." _ 209 

•     "        Creek 194,209 

Koad _ 210 

Township. _ 65, 70 

War 138 

Hungry  Creek .195 

Huseman,  Louis 178,  180,  184-189.  206 

Incidents . 109 

Indian  Archery _  ..50,125 

"      Creek 195,  216 

"      Difficulties 47,53,  121-144 

"      Foot-race 197 

Industries 197 

Ingalls'  Gulch 61 

Ironside,  Dr.  Roger  B 65,  72,  133 

Irwin,  William. 74,  75,  76,  86,  98,  170, 184-190,  204,  206,  210 

Iunker,  Charles 184-189,  205,  206 

Jacobs,  Benjamin 62, 128,  178,  217 

Jail  Building 80 

"    Deliveries 101, 102, 110 

Johnson,  A.  M 70,  195,  214 

Johnson's  Bar .  .217 

Jones,  J.  M.  C .59,  62,  76,  87,  121,  206,  218 

Journal,  The  Yreka _  _    98 

Judah,  Capt.  H.  M.  _ 134,  143,  165, 177,  178,  212 

Judges,  County  Court 84 

District      "      83 

Judicial  Districts. 73-76 

Julien,  N.  D 123 

Justice  Murder,  The 114 

Justices  of  the  Court  of  Sessions 85 

"     "     Peace 86-90 

.  Ketcham,  L.  M _ 75,  169,  204 

King,  Execution  of  Thomas 101 

"      F.  J .169,  171,  200 

King's  Salt  Works 193 

Klamath  City 59 

County 64,  68 

Indians 121,  126,  127 

Lake .52 

Reservation  . . _ ...145,  160 

River 29,49,  58,59,195,  218 

Township 60 

Knights,  Horace 216 

Laird,  William  T 70,  76,  176,  178,  189 

Lake  City 67 

Lane,  Gen.  Joseph .60,  217 

Lanphier,  Gilbert 162,  168,  178,  205,  208 

Lash,  D.N ..77,210 

Lassen  County 67,  68 

Route 53 

Lava  Bed  Country _ _ 147-159,  209 

Lava-Linden — a  Poem 157 

Lentell,  John _.:__ 72,73,85,  162,200 

Lewis  and  Clark  Expedition 18 

Liberty  Township 70 

Lindsay,  James  H .62,  88,  178, 191,  217,  218 

Little  Humbug 194,  210 

"     Mount  Shasta 31 


Little  Shasta .209 

Loag,  John 111,  165,  188, 189,  201,  205 

Local  Histories 196-218 

Lockhart,  Harry  and  Sam 82,  161,  165,  197,  208,  209 

Lost  River  Fights 124,  132,  146 

Lo'wden's  Ferry  Fight, 127 

Lowrv,  Rev.  David  H 64-73,89,  193,  197,  211,  215,  217 

Luttrell,  J.  K _  _ 75,  184 

Lynch  Law 103-109,129,  138 

Machine  Shops _ _ .193 

Mad  River 56 

Magoffey,  Samuel 75,  172,  175, 187,  189 

Marble  Mountain .36-38 

Martin,  Capt.  William _.74,  140,  141,  191 

Gen.  R.  M 75,  86, 91,  104, 191,  207,  217 

Jacob.. 169.  189,  192,  205,  206 

Marx,  Martin 89,176,  178,180,214 

Masonic  Order 177 

Massacre — Ben  Wright 132 

"  Blackburn's  Ferry _. ...126 

Horse  Creek .138 

"         Lost  River. .. _ .147 

"         Klamath  River.. _ 138 

"  Mouth  of  Humbug .   139 

"  Peace  Commissioners 153-155 

Pit  River  Ferry. 165 

Mathews,  Israel 75,  177, 184,  209,  211,  213 

Mathewson,  H.  B .171 

McAdams  Creek ■ 195, 216 

McBride,  John  W 76,  77,  166, 178,  180,  211 

McCarton,  A.  P 76,  88, 169,  171, 177,  179, 192,  200 

McCloud,  Ross 74,  75, 208 

McConaughv,  John 76,  170,  184 

William _• 75, 76,  84 

McConnell,  William 76,  172, 177-188,  203 

McDermit,  Col.  Charles.. 60-74,  126,  127,  130,  161,  171,  213 

McKay,  Thomas  and  Donald 18,  44,  150-160 

McKee's  Indian  Treaties 114 

McKinney  Creek 195 

McLeod  River _ 20,  30 

Cache... 54 

McManus,  P.  F._ 186,  188,  190,203,209 

Meamber,  Agustus  and  John  P. 123, 161,  211,  216,  218 

Meek,  Stephen  H _ .  .21 

Merritt,  Frank,  George,  and  Isaac 73,  128. 186,  209,  210 

Meteorological. 40 

Mexican  Veterans 171 

Midnight  Ride  of  Pembroke  Murray 111 

Military .171,190 

Mills,  Grist 193,  203,  208,  209,  213,  214, 215 

"      Quartz.   .193 

"     Saw ..193 

Miller,  Joaquin.. 119,  165 

Millhouse  Mob 108 

Miners'  Courts 103-106,  216 

Mining 194 

Mirror,  The  Scott  Valley 99 

Modoc  County...    _ 67 

"       Indians 52,  123,129,  136,  141,  144 

"       War,  The  Great 1 144-160 

Moore,  Charles  D 60,  62,  127,  161,  213 

Morse,  Henry  A..  _  _ 76.  77,  97,  172,  182,  190 

Moses,  William  S 31,  168,  176,  187,  189,  205 

Mosier  and  McKee  Killed 128 

Mountain  Herald.- 98 

"  Township 67 

Mowry,  Edward  S 72,  85,  88,  140,  210 

Moxley,  John  T 88,  89,  136, 170,  177,  192,  211 

Mugginsville _ 216 

Muir's  Adventure  on  Mount  Shasta .35 

Mule  Justice  in  Yreka 198 

Murray,  Pembroke .73,  85,  86,  111,  190 

Mount  Shasta  Agricultural  Association _ 184 

Altitude ...31 

"         "        Ascent  of. 31 

"        "        Description  ot _ 30,51 

Hot  Springs 31 

"        Monument 35,36 

"        OriginofName 30 

"         "        Prof.  Muir's  Adventure 35 

"        "       Sunrise  on 32 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX  BY  TOPICS 


Page. 

National  />■  mocrat. .. -- — 99 

Negro  Preacher  at  Johnson's  Bar 109 

Ni  w»,  The  Scott  Valley.. -  -  - 99 

Newspapers. 98 

Nixon,  Robert 99,172,  175-192,204 

Nun  is.  Valley 215 

Northern  Journal - - 98 

North  Fork  of  Salmon 196 

Oak  Bar - 60,  195,218 

Odd  Fellows  Lodges 173 

Officers  of  County 77 

"        '•  Etna.'.... -.214 

"       "  Fire  Department... 189 

"  Fort  Jones -.212 

"       "  Yreka.... - 200 

Oregon  ( lyerland  Route 52 

Organization  of  County 71 

Oro  Fino -  -  - 195,  216 

Ottitiewa 212 

(  Hilton.  George 74,  170 

Owens.  Alexander.  _ 89,  181,  213,  216 

Oyster  Business - 112 

Pack  Trains 160,  214 

Paine.  A.  E 169,  175-189,  206 

Pashburg,  John 172,  179-189,  206 

Patriotism -  .168 

Patterson  Creek . . 195 

William  A 72,  85,  87,  128,  217 

Peace  Commissioners _ 150-155 

Pellet.  Samuel, -.175-130 

People's  Stage  Company 166 

Peters,  Charles  C 75,76,  172,  175,  184.  189,  200,  205,  226 

"      J.  Montgomery 82,  92,  100, 107 

Pierce.  Capt,  John  B 32,  89,  212,  217 

Pierson,  George  W 85,  86,  87,  91,  202 

Pinery 216 

Pit  River 30 

"      "     Massacre ..165 

Piute  Indians _  _ 137 

Plugtown .209 

Pool.  J.J 61,  176,  213 

"     William 61,  178,  211,  216 

Post-offices,  List  of _  _40 

Potter.  Edgar  W 85,  87,  169,  178-187,  206 

Price,  Capt.  George  F 98,  169,  171 

Probate  Court _84 

Public  Buildings 81 

Pvle,  Curtis  EL... . . .  .139.  180, 181,  204,  216 

Quartz  Mining 194-196,  210,  211 

"      Valley _. 195,215 

Rail  roads _ 168 

Lain  and  Snow .40-44 

Rattlesnake  Creek 195 

Raynes.  Alonzo  E 75,  127,  162,  169-191,  200 

Ream,  Dr.  Daniel 74-76,  98,  140,  168-179,  204 

Red  Men,  Order 179 

Rider,  W.  G. 75,  170.  216 

Riderville 209 

Riley.  Francis 76,177,184,  189 

Rising  Sun  Incident ... ..139 

Ron. Is _.161,  165,  210 

Robbery  of  Express  and  Stage  ._ 163,  166 

Robertson,  William  A ; .64-83.  92,  128 

1  ogers,  Franklin 73,  74,  177,  188,  192,  200 

Rosborough,  A.  M 73-83, 92, 102, 135-155, 161,  165, 

-  - 172,  204 

Rowe,  Theodore  F.... 64,  71,  85,  197 

Sailor  Jim  Executed 100 

Salmon  River 29,  59,  63,  195 

Excitement _  .117 

"  Township 70 

Salt  Works _ _  _  .193 

Sanitary  Relief  Fund _ _ 169 

Saw  Mills 193 

Id,  Henry 176,  184-189,  205.206 

ofield,  E.  II 175-189,  217 

Schools  93-97 

Schwatka,  A.  E 73]  108,170,  207 

Scott  Bar _ 60,  61,  62,217 

"     River. 29,  44.  60,  61,  195.  217 

"      Township. ...64,05 


Scott   Valley 4.  211 

"  "       Township 65,  66 

Scottsburg,  or  Scottville 212 

Scrip— Old  Yreka 202 

Senatorial  Districts. 73-77 

Sessions,  Court  of - : 84 

Shasta  (see  Mount  Shasta) 

Butte  City _  _ 198 

County _ 64 

"       Indians 53,  120-138 

"       Plains  Township 64,  65 

"       River 65 

"       Vallev  Township 65 

Shaw,  David  H 89,  177,  178,  192,  214 

Shearer,  Edwin .75,  76,  84,  93,  102,  167,  184,  204,  214 

Sheep  Rock . 36 

Shooting  of  Indians 105,  109,  138,  139,  141 

Simon,  Sigmond .106,  178,  217 

Simon  ville .217 

Siskiyou  County,  Description  of 28 

"  Origin  of  Name 29 

Skinner,  James  T 169,187-190 

Slade,  William  D. .  _  _ .87,  98,  177,  188.  200,  201 

Sleeper,  Menasseh 74, 170,  171,  177,  204,  206,  213,  215 

Slicer,    Hugh 86,  107,  162,  175 

Smith,  Capt.  A.J 135,  140 

"       Capt.  Joseph __ 171 

"       Dr.  A.  M.  C 75,  177,209 

"      George 166,  178,211,  213 

Snelling,  R.  B. 72,  73,  90,  104,  200,  205,  217 

Snow  and  Rain 40-44 

"     Shoes 41 

Societies — 172 

Soda  Springs 47,  51,  208 

Sons  of  Temperance _ 180 

South  Fork  of  Salmon 196 

Scott  River _ 195,215 

"  "     Township 70 

Township 66 

Squaw  Valley  Indians 133 

Stage  Lines  and  Robberies 165,  166 

Starvation  at  Cottonwood 210 

"  "   Salmon  River 63 

'•   Scott  River 218 

"   Yreka 199 

Starveout  Station 207 

Statistical   Tables 43,  71^30,  192 

Steele,   Elijah   62-77,  86,  90,  102,  128, 135,  145-153,  162, 

168,  184,197,  205,  207,211 

Stemmel,  H.   E. 184-189,  205 

Stone.  Eli  H 73,  92,  100,  101,175 

Strawberry  Valley 208 

Strawbridge,  James  A. .  _ .72,  85,  86,  91,  128,  198 

Sullaway,   William .165,208 

Superior  Court 86 

Supervisor   Districts . 65-71 

Supreme  Court 81 

Surprise   Vallev  Township 66 

Swain,  Abisha  60,  63,  69,  127, 161, 162,  166,  170,  176-179 

.213,  214 

Swan,    Livv 101,  108,  206,  210 

Table  Rock.. 36 

"  "     Township 66 

Tar  and  Feathers. . . 106 

Tax  Rate 80 

Taylor,  W.  S.  R ...75,92,169,176-192 

Teaming. _ 161 

Telegraph _ .167 

Temperance  Societies 180 

Thomas,  Dr.  E .152-155 

James  E. 87,  89,  91,  130, 198,  200,  212,  213 

Thompson's  Dry  Diggings 62-198 

Thornburv,  Caleb  N..  .74,  85,  87,  98,  170,  177,  200,  209.  212 

Tickner,  H.  C,  H.  L.  and  F.  L 75,  87,  166,  167 

Townships 64-71 

Transportation 160 

Trapper  History 18-24 

Treaties  with  Modocs. 143-145 

Tribune,  The  AVeekly 98 

Trinidad. _ 55-59 

Trinity   County 64 


AND  NAMES  OF  PROMINENT  PERSONS. 


vn 


Page. 

Trinity  Excitement 55-59 

River 29,  55-59 

Trustees,  Etna 215 

Fort  Jones 213 

Yreka 200 

Tule  Lake 124-142 

Turnverein -- 183 

Union  Club 168 

"      League _ 169 

"       The  Yreka 98 

LTniontown 58 

Valuation  of  Property 79,  80 

Vance,  James 166, 172,  177-189,  206 

Van  Choate,  S.  F 98,  188,  200,  209 

Van  Duser,  A.  P ....74,  89,  170,  189,  192 

Van  Wyck,  H.  D... 72,  169,  174,  175,  188,  200,  205 

Varney,  B.  F 72,  73,  74,85,  104 

Vigilance   Committee.- 104,  216 

Virginia   Bar 195,218 

Vote— Tables  of 71-77 

Wads  worth.  Dr.   E 74,  169,  170,  181,  184,  201,  204-206 

Henry 169,  181,  187,  191,  205,  206 

Wagon  Vallev _ .  .53 

WaTb ridge,  John  M 172,  175-189,  203 

Wallamette  Cattle  Co. - 44-49 

Warm  Spring  Indians 150-160 

War  in  Africa. 112 

Warren,  Homer  B. .  .68,  70,  87,  169,  170,  171,  184,  191,  192 


Page. 

Westbrook.  Royal  L.  72,  73,  74,  84:,  85, 107, 171,  175, 191,  200 

Wheaton.  Col.  Frank 149-160 

Wheelock's  Trading-Post 212 

Whipping  Cases .104,  133 

White,  Asa. 192,  211, 215 

"      H.   K 98,169,187,192,205 

Whiting,  Peter. .72,  217 

Wilkes'    Expedition 49 

Williams,  William 102 

AVilson,  John  P 74,  170,  175,  176,  211,  215 

Lucius  S 85,  86,  175,  182,  211,  215 

Winckler,  Adolph. 176,  184-189,  206 

Witherill,  A.,  Geo.  S.,  and  Oscar.. 186-189,  200,  206 

Woodman— Murder  of  Calvin 128 

Workmen,  A.  O.  U 179 

Wright,  Capt.  Ben 62,  123-126,  129-133 

Yreka 60-62,  196 

"       Alcaldes : .91,  198 

"       Boundaries  .  _ -  02 

"       Fires 199,  202,  204 

•'       First  Child 198 

First  House .197 

"       Flats ...60-92,  194 

"      Gas  Companies 202 

"      Incorporated 199,  201 

"       Officers. 200,  205 

"      Post-Office 161,  205 

"      Starvation 199 


I\DEX  TO  ILLUSTRATIONS,  PORTRAITS,  Ar{D  BIOGRAPHIES, 


Before  page. 

Andrews,  Martin 197, 217 

Antone,  John 73 

Arbau-h,  George  W 17 

Bailey  j  Elton  T 193 

Beard,  J.  S 85 

Beem,  Andrew  A 141-197 

Berry  vale 209 

Bonanza  Mine 193 

Brown,  E.  D 193,197 

Bryan,  James 113 

Butteville 185 

Caldwell,  A.  J 49 

Cameron,   Duncan 129 

Camp,  James 69,  161 

Campbell,  George •■ .  .  189 

Campbell,  R.  H .'.  169,  193 

Carlock,  AdamB 69,173 

Cavanaugh,  Joseph 185 

Churchill,  Jerome 201 

Cooley,  F.  C.  E 153,  197 

Court  House 81 

Davidson,  Jeremiah 105 

Davidson,  William 149 

Denny.A.  H 97,213 

Deter,  David 37,  209 

Diggles,  H.  J 61,  193 

Doll,   Josiah '. 21,    97 

Doran,  Richard 141 

Eddy,  Nelson  H '. 33 

Edgewood 185 

Edson,  J.  R.  &  E.  B 145,  181 

Fellows,  Joseph  S 145,209 

Fletcher,  Charles  H 109 

Gazelle 181 

Gillis,  Hudson  B 81 

Goodale,  Oliver  W 65,  217 


Before  page. 

Goodnoe,  A.  J 101,  213 

Gray,  Joseph 77,    97 

Green,  O.  V 41 

Grizzly  Bonanza  Mine 193 

Hancock  Mine 25 

Hearn,  Dr.  F.  G. .    65 

Heartstrand,  P.  A 169 

Horn,  David 69,  149 

Hovenden,   Charles 101 

Linker,  Charles  F.  L 201,  217 

Jackson,   Samuel 53 

Johnson,  A.  M 57 

Jones,  Joseph  W 177,  217 

Julien,  N.  D 97,161 

Keyser,  Elijah  T 29,  209 

Koester,  Frederick 177,  217 

Lanphier,   Gilbert 145 

Lash,  Daniel  N 45 

Ledue,  Joseph  B. 69-161 

Loos,  R.  Beer.s. 125 

Meamber,  Augustus 97,  197 

Meamber,  John  P 97,  197 

Meek,  Stephen  H 21 

Miller,  John 89,  145 

Miller,    William 17,145 

Musgrave,   Samuel 45,  209 

Nentzel,  Christopher  M 89 

Neuschwander,   Julien '. 97,  161 

Nioholes,  W.I 173 

Nixon,  Jr.  Robert 121 

Nutting,  Charles  Wilber     153 

O'Donnell,  C.  C 217 

Oliveira,  Antonio  Soares  de 73 

Owen,  Charles  E 69,  137 

Parker,  Alexander  M 13,  197 

Patton,  Thomas 101,  157 


Vlll 


INDEX  TO  ILLUSTRATIONS,  PORTRAITS,  AND  BIOGRAPHIES. 


Before  page. 

Payne,  Festus 10],  125 

Pereira,  Manuel 77 

Peterson,  Peter  P 157 

Ream,  Dr.  Daniel 189 

Riley,  Francis 61 

Sharp,   William 137 

Smith,  George 117,  161 

Soda  Springs 189 

Soule,  Stephen 129,209 

Strawberry  Valley .209 

Steele,  Elijah 93 

Stone,  Mrs.  R.  D 101,  213 


Before  page. 

Sullaway,  William 209 

Tesh,  Daniel 205 

Thomas,  Myron  K . .  » 193,  217 

Tierney,  Patrick ...  J17 

Townsend,  William  M 145 

Wagner,  Ignace 85,  161 

White,  Manuel 77 

Wilson,  L.  S 101,  161 

Wood,  John  P 161, 165 

Wolford,  J.  M.  &  A.  W 133 

Wright  &  Fletcher 109 

Wright,  Henry  D 109 


To  the  critical  reader  a  few  words  of  explanation  are  due,  that  he  may  be  able  to  understand  the 
plan  of  the  work  and  the  method  of  its  compilation.  Upon  this  will  depend  largely  his  opinion  of  its 
value  as  a  history  and  its  reliability  as  a  chronicle  of  events. 

The  work  embraces  a  brief  and  succinct  history  of  California  from  the  discovery"  of  the  Pacific 
ocean  to  the  discovery  of  gold ;  a  history  of  the  cause  and  progress  of  the  tidal  wave  of  gold-seekers  that 
swept  over  the  northern  end  of  the  State  and  developed  this  region;  a  complete  political  history  of  the 
county;  a  detailed  aceount  of  its  Indian  wars  and  other  historical  events  within  its  borders;  a  statement 
of  its  resources;  a  brief  local  history  of  each  place  of  importance  in  the  county. 

The  alphabetical  index  will  be  found  an  invaluable  guide  to  the  contents  of  this  volume;  and  as  a 
valuable  feature,  it  contains  the  names  of  the  prominent  characters  in  the  history,  with  references  to  the 
pages  on  which  their  acts  are  detailed. 

As  to  the  reliability  of  this  work  as  a  truthful  statement  of  facts,  the  writer  has  simply  to  say  that 
he  has  spent  nearly  a  year's  time  in  patient  investigation,  during  which  he  has  interviewed  men  of 
all  shades  of  opinion,  and  carefully  examined  records,  documents,  and  books.  He  has,  from  indisputable 
evidence  furnished  him,  been  compelled  to  make  statements  at  variance  with  the  previously  spoken  and 
written  opinions  of  many,  but  feels  that  he  is  fully  justified  in  doing  so,  as  no  one  else  has  ever  given 
these  matters  the  patient,  thoughtful,  and  disinterested  investigation  they  have  received  at  his  hands. 
Surely  a  work  of  this  character  should  receive  more  credence  than  any  statement  hastily  written  from 
incomplete  sources  of  information,  or  the  prejudiced  opinion  of  any  one  man. 

In  his  labors  the  writer  has  received  encouragement  and  assistance  from  the  press,  public  officials 
and  intelligent  citizens  in  all  sections  of  the  county,  without  which  the  work  would  have  failed  of 
success.     To  them  he  returns  his  sincere  thanks.  H,  L.  W. 

Oakland,  Cal.,  September  8,  1881. 


MOUNT     SHASTA. 
BY  JOHN  K.  JUDGE. 

Behold  the  dread  Mount  Shasta,  where  it  stands 

Imperial  midst  the  lesser  heights,  and,  like  I 

Some  mighty,  unimpassioned  mind,  companionless 

And  cold.     The  storms  of  Heaven  may  beat  in  wrath 

Against  it,  but  it  stands  in  unpolluted 

Grandeur  still;  and  from  the  rolling  mists  upheaves     " 

Its  tower  of  pride  e'en  purer  than  before.  ;^jj    -igj 

The  wintry  showers  and  white-winged  tempests  leavej 

Their  frozen  tributes  on  its  brow,  and  it 

Doth  make  of  them  an  everlasting  crown. 

Thus  doth  it,  day  by  day,  and  age  by  age, 

Defy  each  stroke  of  time;  still  rising  highest 

Into  Heaven! 

Aspiring  to  the  eagle's  cloudless  height. 

No  human  foot  has  stained  its  snowy  side; 

No  human  breath  has  dimmed  the  icy  mirror  which 

It  holds  unto  the  moon,  and  stars,  and  sov'reign  sun. 

We  may  not  grow  familiar  with  the  secrets 

Of  its  hoary  top,  whereon  the  Genius 

Of  that  mountain  builds  his  glorious  throne! 

Far  lifted  in  the  boundless  blue,  he  doth 

Encircle,  with  his  gaze  supreme,  the  broad 

Dominions  of  the  west,  which  lie  beneath 

His  feet,  in  pictures  of  sublime  repose 

No  artist  ever  drew.     He  sees  the  tall, 

Gigantic  hills  arise  in  silentness 

And  peace,  and  in  the  long  review  of  distance 

Eange  themselves  in  order  grand.     He  sees  the  sunlight 

Play  upon  the  golden  streams  which  through  the  valleys 

Glide.     He  hears  the  music  of  the  great  and  solemn  sea, 

And  overlooks  the  huge  old  western  wall 

To  view  the  birthplace  of  undying  Melody! 

Itself  all  light,  save  when  some  loftiest  cloud 

Doth  for  a  while  embrace  its  cold,  forbidding 

Form,  that  monarch  mountain  casts  its  mighty 

Shadow  down  upon  the  crownless  peaks  below, 

That,  like  inferior  minds  to  some  great 

Spirit,  stand  in  strong  contrasted  littleness! 

All  through  the  long  and  summery  months  of  our 

Most  tranquil  year,  it  points  its  icy  shaft 

On  high,  to  catch  the  dazzling  beams  that  fall 

In  showers  of  splendor  round  that  crystal  cone, 

And  roll  in  floods  of  far  magnificence 

Away  from  that  lone,  vast  reflector  in 

The  dome  of  Heaven. 

Still  watchful  of  the  fertile 

Vale  and  undulating  plains  below, 

The  grass  grows  greener  in  its  shade,  and  sweeter  bloom 

The  flowers.     Strong  purifier!  from  its  snowy  crest 

The  breezes  cool  are  wafted  to  the  "  peaceful 

Homes  of  men,"  who  shelter  at  its  feet,  and  love 

To  gaze  upon  its  honored  form,  aye  standing 

There  the  guarantee  of  health  and  happiness. 

Well  might  it  win  communities  so  blest 

To  loftier  feelings  and  to  nobler  thoughts — 

The  great  material  symbol  of  eternal 

Things!     And  well  I  ween,  in  after  years,  how 

In  the  middle  of  his  furrowed  track  the  plowman 

In  some  sultry  hour  will  pause,  and  wiping 

From  his  brow  the  dusty  sweat,  with  reverence 

Gaze  upon  that  hoary  peak.     The  herdsman 

Oft  will  reign  his  charger  in  the  plain,  and  drink 

Into  his  inmost  soul  the  calm  sublimity; 

And  little  children,  playing  on  the  green,  shall 

Cease  their  sport,  and,  turning  to  that  mountain 

Old,  shall  of  their  mother  ask:  "  Who  made  it  ?'* 

And  she  shall  answer — "God!" 


^glSTORv?^ 


-4i- 


prop^. 


4- 


By  HARRY  L.  WELLS 


-& 


-£ 


CHAPTER   I. 

CALIFORNIA  PRIOR  TO  THE  AMERICAN 
CONQUEST. 

To  gaze  out  upon  the  lovely  State  of  California 
and  behold  her  cities  and  towns,  her  fields  of  nod- 
dins  grain  and  acres  of  luscious  fruits,  her  thou- 
sands  of  mines  and  aqueducts,  her  herds  of  cattle 
and  sheep,  her  railroads  and  telegraphs,  fills  the 
breast  with  admiration ;  and  to  reflect  that  this  has 
been  the  work  of  less  than  two  score  years,  deepens 
the  admiration  to  wonder  and  astonishment. 

One  hundred  and  twelve  years  ago  the  first  Cau- 
casian foot  pressed  the  soil  of  California,  and  called 
it  home.  Thirty-three  years  ago  the  workmen  at 
the  mill-race  at  Coloma  espied  those  little  flakes  of 
gold  that'electrified  the  world,  turned  the  thoughts 
and  feet  of  thousands  towards  the  sunny  slope  of 
the  Sierra,  and  laid  the  foundation  for  a  new  jewel 
in  the  diadem  of  the  Union. 

In  1513  Vasco  Nunez  de  Balboa  was  guided  by 
an  Indian  to  the  summit  of  the  mountains  of  Pan- 
ama, and  beheld  the  boundless  expanse  of  ocean 
stretching  out  to  the  north,  west  and  south,  the  con- 
tinuation of  that  westward  route  to  the  Indies  that 
Columbus  had  sought,  and  which  is  soon  to  be  com- 
pleted by  the  construction  of  the  great  canal  near 
where  rested  the  feet  of  this  first  of  the  Caucasian 
race  to  view  its  vast  expanse  of  water  with  joy  and 
admiration.  It  received  its  name,  "  Pacific,"  from 
Magellan,  a  Portuguese,  who  entered  it,  six  years 
later,  from  the  south,  through  straits  which  now 
bear  his  name,  and  which  he  then  called  the  Straits 
of  the  Ten  Thousand  Virgins.  From  this  time  the 
desire  of  Spain  to  extend  her  dominions  by  new  con- 
quests, and  the  zeal  of  the  Catholic  church  to  spread 
the  story  of  the  cross,  led  to  many  efforts  to  explore 
and  reveal  the  mysteries  of  the  newly -found  ocean. 


From  this  resulted  the  discovery  and  settlement  of 
California. 

A  letter,  written  from  Mexico  by  Cortez  to  the 
King  of  Spain,  dated  October  15,  1534,  gives  the 
first  intimation  of  California.  He  says  that  he  has 
information  of  "  an  island  of  Amazons,  or  women, 
only,  abounding  in  pearls  and  gold,  lying  ten  days' 
journey  from  Colima."  Colima  is  one  of  the  States 
of  Mexico.  The  same  year  Cortez  fitted  out  a  ves- 
sel to  explore  the  unknown  waters,  and  the  pilot, 
Ximines,  headed  a  mutiny,  killed  the  officers,  and 
took  charge  of  the  ship.  He  discovered  and  landed 
upon  the  Peninsula  of  Lower  California,  at  a  point 
between  La  Paz  and  Cape  St.  Lucas,  and  was  there 
killed,  with  twenty  of  his  men,  by  the  natives. 

The  name  "  California,"  which  had  not  yet  been 
given  to  this  region,  first  appears  in  a  popular 
romance  published  at  Seville,  in  1510,  andjentitled 
"  The  Sergas  of  Esplandian,  the  Son  of  Amadis  of 
Gaul,"  in  the_following  passage  : — 

Know  that  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Indies,  there  is  an  island 
called  California,  very  near  to  the  Terrestrial  Paradise,  which 
was  peopled  by  black  women,  without  any  men  among  them,  be- 
cause they  were  accustomed  to  live  after  the  manner  of  the  Am- 
azons. They  were  of  strong  and  hardened  bodies,  of  ardent 
courage,  and  of  great  force.  The  island  was  the  strongest  in  the 
world,  from  its  steep  rocks  and  great  cliffs.  Their  arms  were  all 
of  gold,  and  so  were  the  caparisons  of  the  wild  beasts  they  rode. 

Twenty-four  years  after  the  appearance  of  this 
work,  Cortez  wrote  to  the  King  of  the  "  Island 
of  Amazons,"  and  Ximines  discovered  the  penin- 
sula. Two  years  later  Cortez  planted  a  colony 
where  the  discoverer  had  been  killed,  May  1,  1536, 
and  called  the  bay  "  Santa  Cruz."  It  was  then  that 
the  name  "  California  "  was  first  applied  to  any  defi- 
nite portion  of  the  Pacific  coast. 

Four  more  attempts  were  made  to  explore  the 
coast  during  that  century  by  the   Spaniards,  the 


10 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


most  important  one  being  that  of  Juan  Rodriguez 
Cabrillo,  who,  on  the  tenth  of  March,  1543,  reached 
latitude  44°,  on  the  Oregon  coast.  He  discovered 
and  named  Cape  Mendocino  and  the  Farallone 
Islands. 

The  hostilities  existing  between  Spain  and  Eng- 
land led  Captain  Francis  Drake,  an  English  free- 
booter, to  visit  the  Pacific,  in  1578,  and  prey  upon 
the  Spanish  shipping.  He  captured  the  annual 
East  India  galleon,  with  its  load  of  treasure  for 
Spain,  and  committed  ravages  that  loaded  his  ves- 
sels with  spoils.  Fearing  to  return  by  the  Straits 
of  Magellan,  where  the  Spanish  fleet  was  awaiting 
him,  he  sailed  north  to  find  the  Straits  of  Anian, 
a  passage  that  was  then  believed  to  exist  to  the 
north  of  America,  connecting  the  two  oceans.  He 
penetrated  to  latitude  48°,  and  was  compelled  by 
cold  weather  to  return,  and  cast  anchor  in  Drake's 
bay,  near  San  Francisco,  where  he  remained  thirty- 
six  days.  This  was  in  June,  1579.  The  historian  of 
this  expedition  was  its  chaplain,  Rev.  Mr.  Fletcher, 
who  writes: — 

Our  General  called  this  country  Nova  Albion,  and  that  for  two 
causes  :  the  one,  in  respect  of  the  white  bankes  and  cliffes  which 
lie  toward  the  sea ;  and  the  other,  because  it  might  have  some 
affinitie  with  our  eountrey  in  name,  which  sometime  was  so 
called. 

There  is  no  part  of  earth  here  to  be  taken  up,  wherein  there  is 
not  a  reasonable  quantitie  of  gold  or  silver.  Before  sailing  away 
our  General  set  up  a  monument  of  our  being  there,  as  also  of  her 
Majestie's  right  and  title  to  the  same,  viz.:  a  plate  nailed  upon 
a  faire,  great  poste,  whereupon  was  engraved  her  Majestie's  name, 
the  day  and  year  of  our  arrival  there,  with  the  free  giving  up  of 
the  province  and  people  into  her  Majestie's  hands,  together  with 
here  Highness'  picture  and  arms,  in  a  piece  of  five-pence  of  cur- 
rent English  money  under  the  plate,  whereunder  was  also  writ- 
ten the  name  of  our  General. 

Drake  then  returned  to  England  and  was  knighted 
by  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  the  successful  sea-robber 
became  the  great  navigator,  Sir  Francis  Drake. 

The  next  voyage  of  importance  was  that  of  Sebas- 
tian Viscaifio,  who  sailed  from  Acapulco,  May  5, 
1602.  He  discovered  the  bays  of  San  Diego  and 
Monterey,  but,  like  Drake,  missed  the  Golden  Gate, 
and  anchored  in  Drake's  bay,  behind  Point  Reyes. 
He  continued  north,  searching  for  the  Straits  of 
Anian,  until  he  reached  Cape  Mendocino,  when  the 
ravages  of  scurvy  among  his  crew  compelled  him  to 
abandon  the  attempt  and  return  to  Mexico.  In 
1606  a  supply  station  was  ordered  by  the  king 
to  be  established  at  Monterey,  but  the  order  was 
not  carried  into  effect. 

The  next  attempt  at  a  settlement  was  made  in 
1683,  when  Admiral  Otondo  and  Father  Kino 
landed  at  La  Paz,  and  planted  a  colony  that 
remained  three  years.  The  government  then  offered 
an  annual  appropriation  of  $40,000  to  the  Jesuits  to 
undertake  the  conquest  and  settlement  of  California, 
but  the  offer  was  declined,  and  after  one  hundred 


and  forty-seven  years  of  effort,  Spain  abandoned  the 
attempt  to  colonize  the  country.  Finally,  what  the 
government  with  its  military  power  was  unable  to 
accomplish,  was  effected  by  the  holy  followers  of 
the  cross. 

In  1697  Father  Eusebio  Kino,  Father  Juan  Maria 
Saiva  Tierra  and  Father  Juan  Ugarte  obtained  from 
the  crown  a  warrant  for  the  Jesuits  to  enter  upon  the 
conquest  of  California  at  their  own  expense.  On 
the  nineteenth  of  October  of  the  same  year  Father 
Salva  Tierra,  with  six  soldiers  and  three  Indians, 
landed  on  the  east  coast  of  the  peninsula,  and  on  the 
twenty-fifth  took  foi-mal  possession.  They  had 
brought  with  them  the  necessary  furniture  for  a 
church,  and  a  plan  of  conquest  by  kindness  and 
religion  was  entered  upon.  The  natives  were  called 
together,  bountifully  supplied  with  food  such  as 
they  had  never  before  enjoyed,  and  taught  the  cate- 
chism. An  attack  in  force  was  made  upon  the  mis- 
sion only  twelve  day?  after  the  landing,  by  the 
natives  who  thought  thus  to  secure  all  the  food  with- 
out the  catechism,  but  they  were  repulsed  with  great 
slaughter,  and  sued  for  peace.  By  kind  treatment 
and  administering  to  the  wants  of  their  stomachs, 
the  Fathers  gradually  won  the  natives  to  their  side, 
taught  them  the  forms  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
religion,  and  coaxed  work  enough  out  of  them  to 
build  up  the  mission  and  cultivate  considerable  land. 

In  this  way  did  these  patient  and  self-sacrificing 
brothers  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  extend  their  power 
and  influence  over  the  peninsula  for  seventy  years, 
establishing  sixteen  missions  and  thirty-six  villages. 
At  the  end  of  this  time,  in  1767,  the  society  having 
come  into  disfavor,  they  were  expelled  from  the  scene 
of  their  labor  of  love,  and  the  result  of  their  energy 
and  efforts  was  turned  over  to  the  Order  of  St. 
Francis,  who  succeeded  them.  This  society  relin- 
quished these  missions  to  the  Dominican  Monks, 
and  set  about  conquering  the  country  lying  further 
to  the  north,  known  as  Alta  California.  In  pursu- 
ance of  this  object  Father  Francis  Junipero  Serro,  in 
1769,  dispatched  three  sea  and  two  land  parties  for 
the  port  of  San  Diego,  where  all  arrived,  save  one 
vessel,  the  last  to  reach  its  destination  being  a  land 
party  under  Father  Junipero  Serro  himself,  which 
arrived  July  1,  1769.  The  first  party  had  landed 
from  the  San  Antonio  on  the  eleventh  of  April 

The  man  who  thus  planted  the  seed  of  civilization 
in  California,  was  cast  in  no  common  mould.  He 
was  educated  from  his  youth  to  the  church,  was  pos- 
sessed of  great  eloquence,  enthusiasm  and  magnetic 
power,  and  had  gained  reputation  and  experience  in 
the  missions  of  Mexico.  Peculiarly  fitted  for  the 
work  before  him,  he  entered  upon  it  with  a  zeal  that 
admitted  not  of  failure  or  defeat.  He  immediately 
sent  the  San  Antonio  for  more  seamen  and  supplies, 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


11 


and  set  about  founding  a  mission.  The  writings  of 
Father  Francis  Palou,  published  in  17S7,  describe 
the  ceremony  as  follows: — 

They  immediately  set  about  taking  possession  of  the  soil  in 
the  name  of  our  Catholic  monarch,  and  thus  laid  the  foundation 
of  the  mission.  The  sailors,  muleteers,  and  servants  set  about 
clearing  away  a  place  which  was  to  serve  as  a  temporary  church, 
hanging  the  bells,  and  forming  a   grand  cross  The 

venerable  Father  President  blessed  the  holy  water,  and  with  this 
the  rite  of  the  church  and  then  the  holy  cross;  which,  being 
adorned  as  usual,  was  planted  in  front  of  the  church.  Then  its 
patron  saint  was  named,  and  having  chanted  the  first  mass,  the 
venerable  President  pronounced  a  most  fervent  discourse  on  the 
coming  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  the  establishment  of  the  mission. 
The  sacrifice  of  Ihe  mass  being  concluded,  the  Veni  Creator  was 
then  sung;  the  want  of  an  organ  and  other  musical  instruments 
being  supplied  by  the  continued  discharge  of  the  fire-arms  during 
the  ceremony,  and  the  want  of  incense,  of  which  they  had  n  ne, 
by  the  smoke  of  the  muskets. 

On  the  fourteenth  of  July,  Gaspar  de  Portala,  the 
military  governor,  and  Father  Crespi,  with  sixty- 
five  men,  started  northward  to  search  for  the  long 
neglected  harbor  of  Monterey.  This  they  found, 
and  planting  a  cross  there,  they  continued  their 
journey  until  they  came  upon  a  bay  which  was 
named  San  Francisco,  in  honor  of  the  patron  saint 
of  the  order,  St.  Francis.  The  expedition  then 
returned. 

By  the  same  method  practiced  in  Lower  Cali- 
fornia, were  the  missions  established  on  a  firm  foot- 
ing, suffering  frequently  from  the  hostility  of  the 
natives,  and  gradually  overcoming  all  obstacles,  and 
creating  populous  and  prosperous  missions  and 
towns.  The  mission  of  San  Carlos  was  established 
at  Monterey  on  the  third  of  August,  1770;  that  of 
San  Antonio  de  Padua,  on  the  fourteenth  of  July, 
1771,  on  the  Antonio  river,  twenty-five  miles  from 
the  coast  and  thirty-five  south  of  Soledad ;  and  that 
of  San  Gabriel,  September  8,  1771,  at  a  point  eight 
miles  north  of  Los  Angeles.  In  September,  1772, 
the  mission  of  San  Luis  Obispo  was  founded, 
between  Los  Angeles  and  Monterey.  Father  Serro 
then  went  to  Mexico  for  reinforcements  and  sup- 
plies. He  returned  the  next  spring  by  sea,  having 
sent  Capt.  Juan  Bautista  Ansa,  with  some  soldiers, 
overland,  via  Sonora  and  the  Colorado  and  Gila 
rivers,  thus  establishing  an  overland  route  by  which 
communication  with  the  home  country  could  be 
more  speedy  and  certain  than  by  sea.  In  1774 
Captain  Ansa  returned  to  Mexico  for  reinforcements, 
and  in  November  of  the  same  year  a  well-organized 
but  unsuccessful  attack  was  made  upon  the  San 
Diego  mission  by  Indians  from  the  interior. 

Reinforcements  of  soldiers  and  priests  having 
arrived  with  supplies,  it  was  determined  to  extend 
the  missions  to  the  north,  and  the  San  Carlos  was 
dispatched  to  see  if  the  bay  of  San  Francisco  could 
be  entered  from  the  sea.  In  June,  1775,  the  little 
vessel   sailed  through   the   Golden   Gate   and    cast 


anchor  where  so  many  thousand  vessels  have  since 
been  securely  sheltered.  On  the  seventeenth  of 
September,  1776,  the  presidio  was  established  at 
San  Francisco,  and  on  the  tenth  of  October  the  Mis- 
sion Dolores  was  founded.  The  missions  of  San 
Juan  Capistrano  and  Santa  Clara  were  soon  after- 
wards established. 

From  this  time  the  missions  began  to  grow  in 
power  and  wealth,  and  pueblos  (towns)  sprang  up, 
occupied  chiefly  by  the  families  of  soldiers  who  had 
served  their  terms  in  the  army  and  preferred  to 
remain  in  the  country.  Gradually  population 
increased,  until,  in  1802,  it  was  estimated  by  Hum- 
boldt at  thirteen  hundred.  To  this  he  adds  fifteen 
thousand  five  hundred  and  sixty-two  converted  In- 
dians, taking  no  account  of  wild  or  unsubdued  tribes, 
which  probably  outnumbered  the  others.  By  1822,  in 
which  year  Mexico  declared  her  independence  of 
Spain,  twenty-one  missions  had  been  founded  and 
were  in  a  prosperous  state.  The  first  disturbing  ele- 
ment was  a  settlement  of  Russians  in  1812,  in  the 
present  Sonoma  county.  All  efforts  to  dislodge  the 
intruders,  such  as  starting  the  San  Rafael  and  San 
Francisco  de  Solano  missions,  were  a  failure,  and 
they  retained  their  foothold  until  they  sold  their 
property  to  Capt.  John  A.  Sutter,  in  1842. 

Mexico  declared  her  independence  in  1822,  and 
two  years  later  adopted  a  republican  form  of  gov- 
ernment. From  that  year  dates  the  downfall  of  the 
missionary  system.  The  Fathers  had  complete  con- 
trol of  the  land,  claiming  it  for  the  benefit  of  the  con- 
verted natives,  and  discouraged  all  attempts  at  colo- 
nization, as  calculated  to  weaken  their  power  and 
frustrate  their  designs.  When,  therefore,  the  Mexi- 
can Congress,  in  1824,  passed  a  colonization  act,  giv- 
ing the  Governor  of  California  power  to  make  grants 
of  land  to  actual  settlers,  it  was  considered  a  direct 
blow  at  the  mission  monopoly.  From  this  time  the 
missions  were  a  leading  element  in  Mexican  politics, 
and  they  gradually  declined  before  the  encroach- 
ments of  the  civil  power,  until  in  1845,  the  property 
that  had  survived  the  pillage  and  decay  of  the  pre- 
vious ten  years  was  sold  at  auction,  and  the  missions 
were  at  an  end. 

Passing  by  the  political  history  of  California  as  a 
territory  of  Mexico,  let  us  consider  the  steps  by 
means  of  which  she  became  a  portion  of  the  United 
States.  At  a  very  early  day  American  whaling  and 
trading  vessels  touched  at  the  ports  of  Monterey  and 
Yerba  Buena  (San  Francisco),  and  occasionally  sail- 
ors left  their  ships  and  remained  in  the  country.  In 
1825  an  American,  Jedediah  S.  Smith,  at  the  head  of 
a  party  of  trappers,  made  the  first  overland  journey 
to  California  from  the  Atlantic  States,  and  in  1828  the 
the  first  party  of  Hudson  Bay  Company's  trappers 
entered  the  Sacramento  valley  from  the  north.     The 


12 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


foreign  element  seems  to  have  become  of  considera- 
ble importance  by  1830,  for  in  that  year  Soliz  headed 
a  rebellion,  captured  Monterey,  the  Territorial  cap- 
ital, and  issued  a  manifesto,  in  which  he  said  it  was 
his  intention  to  not  interfere  with  foreigners  in  the 
country.  In  the  numerous  revolutions  that  kept 
California  constantly  in  a  state  of  turmoil,  the  first 
direct  interference  by  foreigners  was  in  1836,  when 
a  Tennessee  trapper  named  Isaac  Graham,  who  had 
made  his  home  in  the  Santa  Cruz  mountains, 
at  the  head  of  fifty  foreigners,  accompanied  by  Jose- 
Castro,  and  one  hundred  Californians,  entered  Monte- 
rey one  night  and  overthrew  the  government  in  the 
interest  of  Juan  B.  Alvarado.  On  the  seventh  of 
November  of  that  year  the  Territorial  Deputation 
declared  California  independent  of  Mexico.  In  the 
conflict  of  authority  which  followed,  Alvarado  was 
maintained  in  power  against  the  home  government 
chiefly  by  Graham's  Rifles,  and  recognizing  the  fact 
that  California,  like  Texas,  was  liable  to  come  under 
the  domination  of  the  American  element,  he  decided 
in  1838  to  return  to  the  Mexican  fold,  and  in  1839 
was  appointed  governor  by  that  power. 

In  1839  Capt.  John  A.  Sutter  established  his 
famous  fort  at  New  Helvetia,  near  the  junction  of  the 
Sacramento  and  American  rivers.  April  7,  1840, 
fearing  a  rebellion  of  foreigners,  some  one  hundred 
of  them,  all  except  Sutter's  and  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany's men  and  the  Russians,  were  seized  and  taken 
to  Monterey.  Graham  and  some  twenty  others  were 
put  in  irons  and  sent  to  San  Bias,  and  then  conducted 
to  Tepee  on  foot,  by  General  Castro.  Here  the  Mex- 
ican authorities,  through  the  influence  of  the  Amer- 
ican and  British  Consuls,  imprisoned  the  guard  and 
liberated  the  prisoners,  who  were  clothed  and  armed 
and  sent  back  to  California,  to  astonish  Governor 
Alvarado  by  their  unexpected  return. 

Anticipating  a  war  with  Mexico  over  the  Texas 
difficulties,  the  United  States  government  issued 
orders  to  naval  commanders  to  he  on  the*  alert,  and 
having  reason  to  suppose  that  war  had  been  declared, 
Commodore  T.  A.  C.  Jones  sailed  into  Monterey 
harbor,  October  19,  1842,  hoisted  the  stars  and 
stripes,  and  declared  Alta  California  under  the 
authority  of  the  United  States.  Being  convinced 
the  next  day  that  he  had  made  a  mistake,  he  hauled 
down  the  flag,  saluted  the  Mexican  ensign  and 
departed  as  gracefully  as  possible. 

The  same  year  Micheltorena  was  appointed  gov- 
ernor to  succeed  Alvarado  and  general  to  succeed 
Castro  and  Vallejo,  and  these  three  combined 
against  him.  The  new  governor  had  brought  with 
him  an  army  of  four  hundred  convicts,  and  it  was 
easy  for  the  three  conspirators  to  raise  a  force  to 
expel  these  licentious  and  pillaging -troops  from  the 
country.     With  the  aid  of  foreigners  under  Charles 


M.  Weber,  Castro  defeated  Micheltorena  near  San 
Josd,  and  comj^elled  him  to  surrender  and  agree  to 
return  to  Mexico.  The  defeated  governor  failed 
to  keep  his  compact,  and  with  the  aid  of  Capt.  John 
A.  Sutter  and  two  hundred  foreigners  and  Indians, 
renewed  the  struggle.  For  the  first  time  the  for- 
eign  element  was  arrayed  on  both  sides,  and  in  the 
battle  which  followed  near  Los  Angeles,  in  Febru- 
ary, 1845,  Captain  Sutter  on  the  one  side  and 
Joseph  McKinley  on  the  other  we,re  the  chief  reli- 
ance of  their  respective  commanders.  Before  the 
two  bodies  of  foreigners  came  into  hostile  collision 
Sutter  was  induced  to  abandon  the  contest,  and 
February  22,  1845,  Micheltorena  capitulated  and 
returned  to  Mexico.  Pio  Pico  was  declared  gov- 
ernor and  held  the  position  until  the  Territory 
became  a  portion  of  the  United  States. 

Under   Spanish   and  Mexican  rule  California  had 
twenty -three  governors,  as  follows: — 

SPANISH   RULE. 

From         To 

Gaspar  de  Portala 1767  1771 

Felipe  Barri. 1771  1774 

Felipe  de  Neve 1774  1782 

Pedro  Fages 1782  1790 

Jose  Antonio  Romero 1790  1792 

Jose'  Joaquin  de  Arrillaga 1792  1794 

Diego  de  Borcica 1794  1800 

Jose  Joaquin  de  Arrillaga 1800  1814 

Jose'  Argiiello 1814  1815 

Pablo  Vincente  de  Sola 1815  1822 

MEXICAN   RULE. 

Pablo  Vincente  de  Sola 1822  1823 

Luis  Argiiello 1823  1825 

Jose"  Maria  Escheandia 1825  1831 

Manuel  Victoria 1831  1832 

Pio  Pico 1832  1833 

Jose"  Figueroa. 1833  1835 

Jose"  Castro' 1835  1836 

Nicholas  Gutierrez 1836 

Mariano  Chico 1836  

Nicholas  Gutierrez 1836 

Juan  B.  Alvarado 1836  1842 

Manuel  Micheltorena 1842  1845 

Pio  Pico 1845  1846 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE  AMERICAN  CONQUEST. 
It  has  already  been  stated  that,  as  early  as  1830, 
the  foreign  population  had  become  to  be  recognized 
as  an  important  element  politically.  From  that 
time  until  the  war  with  Mexico,  in  1846,  the  increase 
of  foi-eigners  was  very  rapid.     In  1841,  M.  DeMo- 


1/5 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


13 


fras,  agent  of  the  French  government,  estimated  the 
population,  exclusive  of  Indians,  as  follows  : — 

Americans 360 

English,  Scotch  and  Irish 300 

Other  foreigners 90 

European  Spaniards 80 

Mexicans    170 

Half-breeds  (native  Califormans),  about .  .  4,000 

Total  population,  other  than  Indians,.  .5,000 
From  this  it  'will  be  seen  that  the  Anglo-Saxon, 
element  was  very  strong,  and  that  in  it  the  Ameri- 
cans predominated,  the  majority  of  those  of  other 
nationalities,  also,  having  a  predilection  in  favor  of 
the  United  States  and  a  republican  form  of  govern- 
ment. 

Commencing  in  1841,  there  was  a  large  annual 
immigration  over  the  plains,  and  by  1846  the  Amer- 
ican element  was  influential  and  powerful,  and  com- 
pletely overshadowed  all  others,  so  that  the  field  was 
ripe  for  the  harvest  when  Fremont  and  Sloat  ap- 
peared upon  the  scene,  to  take  possession  of  Cali- 
fornia in  the  name  of  the  United  States  of  America. 
It  was  the  settled  policy  of  those  pioneer  men,  who 
looked  to  the  near  future  to  relieve  them  from  the 
insecurity  to  life  and  property  resulting  from  the  fre- 
quent revolutions,  to  take  no  part  in  any  revolution- 
ary movements,  but,  holding  aloof,  to  await  patiently 
the  time  when  they  would  become  sufficiently  strong 
to  effect  their  purpose.  Their  intention  was  to  create 
an  independent  State  out  of  that  portion  of  California 
lying  north  of  San  Francisco  bay  and  San  Joaquin 
river,  imitating  the  example  of  Texas.  The  subse- 
quent events  rendei-ed  an  independent  State  unnec- 
essary, by  the  direct  interference  of  the  United 
States  government. 

England,  also,  looked  toward  California  with 
hungry  eyes,  and  took  steps  towards  securing  the 
prize.  J.  Alexander  Forbes,  resident  agent  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company,  was  appointed  Vice-Consul  in 
1843,  and  worked  energetically  in  the  interest  of 
his  government.  In  December,  1845,  Lieut.  John 
C.  Fremont  arrived  in  California,  with  a  company 
of  nineteen  men,  on  his  second  overland  exploring 
expedition  to  Oregon.  He  proceeded  with  his  com- 
mand towards  Monterey  the  next  spring,  and  was 
ordered  by  General  Castro  to  vacate  the  Territory, 
which  order  he  failed  to  comply  with,  fortifying 
himself,  instead,  on  the  summit  of  Hawk's  Peak,  in 
the  mountains  back  of  Monterey.  General  Castro  ap- 
peared before  his  camp,  with  two  hundred  men  and 
a  six-pounder,  and  made  demonstrations  for  several 
days,  Fremont  withdrawing  on  the  night  of  the 
tenth  of  March.  He  joined  the  balance  of  his  com- 
mand, a  company  of  about  forty  men,  that  had  just 
crossed  the    mountains,  commanded  by  Lieutenant 


Talbot,  and  started  for  Oregon.  He  arrived  at  the 
trading-post  of  Peter  Lassen,  on  Deer  creek,  on  the 
thirtieth,  and,  after  a  delay  of  a  number  of  days, 
continued  his  journey.  On  the  ninth  of  May  he 
was  overtaken,  on  the  west  shore  of  Klamath  lake, 
by  Lieut.  A.  H.  Gillespie,  bearing  secret  dispatches 
from  the  government.  The  nature  of  these  dis- 
patches can  only  be  known  by  the  subsequent  con- 
duct of  the  man  to  whom  they  were  directed.  He 
turned  about  and  retraced  his  steps  into  the  Sacra- 
mento valley  and  encamped,  early  in  June,  at  the 
junction  of  the  Yuba  and  Feather  rivers. 

The  foreign  settlers  were  ripe  for  rebellion,  and  it 
seems  to  have  been  Fremont's  object  to  encourage 
and  aid  them,  without  involving  the  United  States, 
until  such  time  as  the  two  governments  should  make 
the  expected  declaration  of  war.  It  was  in  pursu- 
ance of  this  policy  that  eleven  men,  led  by  Ezekiel 
Merritt,  left  Fremont's  camp  on  the  ninth  of  June, 
and  being  joined  by  four  more,  pursued  Lieut.  Fran- 
cisco De  Arce,  General  Castro's  private  secretary, 
who  was  conveying  some  eighty  horses  from  Sonora 
to  Santa  Clara  for  the  use  of  the  army,  and  the  fol- 
lowing morning  charged  into  his  camp  and  captured 
the  entire  command.  De  Arce  and  his  men  were 
allowed  to  proceed  on  their  journey,  but  the  cap- 
tured animals  were  conveyed  to  Fremont's  camp. 
This  was  the  inauguration  of  what  is  known  as  the 
Bear  Flag  War.  It  was  then  determined  to  seize 
Sonoma,  raise  the  flag  of  x'ebellion,  and  declare  inde- 
pendence from  Mexico.  Accordingly,  twenty  men, 
led  by  Captain  Merritt,  left  the  camp  on  the  twelfth 
of  June,  for  Sonoma,  being  joined  on  the  way  by 
thirteen  others.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  four- 
teenth, they  dashed  into  Sonoma,  and  the  garrison  of 
six  soldiers  and  nine  cannon  was  captured  without 
a  shot  being  fired.  Merritt  then  retired  from  the 
command,  and  John  Grigsby  was  chosen  captain. 
The  celebrated  bear  flag  was  designed  and  given 
to  the  breeze  the  same  day.  Captain  Grigsby  con- 
veyed the  prisoners  to  Sutter's  Fort,  with  an  escort  of 
nine  men,  among-  the  captives  being  Gen.  M.  G.Vallejo 
and  Jacob  P.  Leese.  The  company  of  twenty-three 
men  left  in  Sonoma  then  chose  William  B.  Ide,  cap- 
tain, and  Hemy  L.  Ford,  lieutenant.  Two  of  Ide's 
men,  Thomas  Cowie  and  Fowler,  were  captured  near 
Sonoma  by  a  band  of  thirteen  Californians,  and  put 
to  death  with  inhuman  tortures. 

On  the  twenty-third  of  June  news  was  brought 
to  Fremont  that  General  Castro  was  moving  upon 
Sonoma  with  a  large  force,  and  that  energetic 
young  officer  immediately  started  to  its  relief  with 
ninety  men,  arriving  on  the  twenty-fifth.  Mean- 
while, Lieutenant  Ford,  with  fourteen  men,  cap- 
tured a  corral  of  four  hundred  horses,  near  San 
Rafael,  and  defeated  the  guard  of  eighty-five  men, 


14 


HISTOEY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


killing  eleven  of  them.  On  the  twenty-eighth  three 
Californians,  bearers  of  dispatches,  were  captured, 
and  by  the  order  of  Fremont  were  shot,  in  retalia- 
tion for  the  killing  of  Cowie  and  Fowler.  They 
were  Jose"  Reyes  Berryessa  and  Ramon  and  Fran- 
cisco de  Haro. 

July  1,  Fremont  crossed  the  bay  with  twenty 
men  and  spiked  the  guns  at  the  presidio,  at  San 
Francisco.  The  next  day  he  s+arted  for  Sonoma, 
having  received  supplies  from  the  American  barque 
Moscoto,  and  having  captured  a  quantity  of  ammu- 
nition landed  by  Captain  Montgomery  from  the 
American  war  vessel  Portsmouth  for  that  purpose. 
On  the  fifth  of  July,  Fremont  organized  a  battalion 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  men  at  Sonoma,  and 
started  with  one  hundred  and  eighty  men  for 
Sutter's  Fort,  the  next  day.  While  on  the  way, 
he  received  the  news  of  the  capture  of  Monterey 
and  Yerba  Buena  by  the  American  fleet,  and  the 
assumption  of  the  war  by  the  United  States.  This 
changed  the  whole  aspect  of  affairs  and  ended  the 
movement  for  independence.  From'  that  time  they 
fought  for  the  United  States,  and  the  bear  flag- 
retired  in  favor  of  the  stars  and  stripes. 

On  the  same  day  that  Fremont  received  his  dis- 
patches on  the  shore  of  Klamath  lake,  the  battle  of 
Resaca  de  la  Palma  was  fought,  and  Commodore 
John  D.  Sloat  lay  at  Mazatlan  in  command  of  the 
Pacific  squadron,  with  orders  to  take  possession  of 
California  as  soon  as  he  had  reason  to  believe  that 
hostilities  had  commenced.  The  battles  of  Palo 
Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palma  were  fouo-ht  on  the 
eighth  and  ninth  of  May,  near  the  Rio  Grande,  and 
a  month  later  Sloat,  still  unaware  of  the  com- 
mencement of  hostilities,  sailed  for  Monterey,  much 
troubled  in  his  mind  about  what  course  of  action  to 
pursue.  On  the  second  of  July,  he  sailed  into  the 
harbor  of  Monterey,  saluted  the  Mexican  flag,  and 
cast  anchor.  On  the  evening  of  the  sixth,  Lieuten- 
ant N.  B.  Harrison  sailed  into  the  harbor  in  a 
launch,  having  been  dispatched  from  Yerba  Buena 
by  Captain  Montgomery,  to  notify  Sloat  of  the  rebel- 
lion in  the  North.  It  was  then  that  Commodore 
Sloat,  urged  by  the  officers  of  the  fleet,  determined 
to  take  action.  At  ten  A.  M.,  July  7,  1846,  Captain 
Mervine,  at  the  head  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
landed,  took  possession  of  the  town,  and  raised  the 
American  flag.  The  proclamation  of  Commodore 
Sloat,  taking  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name 
of  the  United  States,  was  read  in  English  and  Spanish 
by  R.  M.  Price.  The  same  day  Lieutenant  Harrison 
was  dispatched  in  his  launch  with  orders  to  Captain 
Montgomery  to  raise  the  stars  and  stripes  over  Yerba 
Buena.  On  the  eighth  Montgomery  landed  and 
unfurled  the  flag  over  the  plaza;  on  the  tenth  at 
Sonoma  and  on  the  eleventh  at  Sutter's  Fort,  the 


bear  flag  gave  place  to  the  stars  and  stripes,  amid 
cheers  and  salutes,  and  the  responsibility  was 
entirely  removed  from  the  shoulders  of  the  revo- 
lutionists to  the  broad  back  of  the  United  States. 

Fremont  immediately  started  with  his  command 
for  Monterey,  and  on  the  seventeenth  captured  the 
government  arsenal  at  the  mission  of  San  Juan 
thirty  miles  from  the  capital.  A  few  hours  later 
Purser  Fountleroy,  with  a  company  of  mounted 
marines,  arrived  from  Monterey  for  the  same  pur- 
pose. The  next  day  Fremont  went  to  Monterey 
and  had  an  interview  with  Commodore  Sloat. 
When  Fremont  assured  Sloat  that  he  had  been  act- 
ing on  his  own  responsibility,  the  Commodore  was 
much  troubled.  He  feared  he  had  committed  a 
blunder  similar  to  that  of  Commodore  Jones,  in 
1842,  and  told  Fremont  that  he  would  do  nothing 
further.  At  the  solicitation  of  Commodore  R.  F 
Stockton,  who  had  arrived  a  few  days  before,  the 
command  of  the  squadron  was  turned  over  to  him, 
and  Sloat  returned  to  Washington.  From  that 
moment  there  was  no  hesitation. 

The  California  Battalion  was  organized  and 
placed  under  the  command  of  Fremont,  who  sailed 
with  it  for  San  Diego.  On  the  first  of  August, 
Stockton  sailed  down  the  coast,  took  possession  of 
Santa  Barbara,  and  landed  his  forces  at  San  Pedro, 
where  he  heard  that  Castro  was  at  Los  Angeles, 
thirty  miles  inland,  with  nearly  a  thousand  men  and 
seven  cannon.  By  strategy  Stockton  impressed  the 
enemy  with  the  idea  that  his  three  hundred  men 
were  as  many  thousand,  and  then  marched  upon  Los 
Angeles.  The  Mexican  general  was  so  convinced 
of  the  futility  of  resistance  that  he  evacuated  the 
place,  disbanded  his  army  and  sought  safety  in 
flight.  The  whole  country  was  now  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Americans.  Stockton  stationed  a 
garrison  at  San  Diego,  Los  Angeles,  and  Santa  Bar- 
bara, issued  a  proclamation  declaring  California  a 
Territory  of  the  United  States  and  calling  upon  the 
people  to  elect  officers  on  the  fifteenth  of  September, 
and  returned  to  Monterey  to  mature  plans  for  an 
invasion  of  Mexico  by  way  of  Mazatlan. 

This  movement  was  nipped  in  the  bud  by  the 
rising  of  the  Californians.  Among  the  men  cap- 
tured at  Los  Angeles  was  Jose'  Ma.  Flores,  who  was 
paroled;  but  no  sooner  did  Stockton  take  his 
departure  than  he  began  to  organize  a  force  to  cap- 
ture the  garrisons  left  by  him  in  the  southern  por- 
tion of  the  Territory.  On  the  twenty-third  of  Sep- 
tember he  appeared  before  Los  Angeles  and 
demanded  the  surrender  of  Captain  Gillespie  and 
his  garrison  of  fifty  men,  who  was  compelled  on  the 
thirteenth  to  deliver  up  the  town  and  retire  to 
Monterey.  Lieutenant  Talbot  at  Santa  Barbara  was 
then  besieged  and  also  forced  to  retreat  to  Monterey. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


15 


News  of  the  investment  of  Los  Angeles  was  carried 
to  Stockton  at  YerbaBuena,  who  sent  Captain  Mer- 
vine  in  the  Savanna  to  San  Pedro,  with  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  men,  where  they  arrived  after  the 
surrender,  marched  some  twelve  miles  into  the 
interior,,  and  were  defeated  by  the  Californians  with 
a  loss  of  five  killed  and  six  wounded.  Fremont 
sailed  for  Santa  Barbara  with  one  hundred  and 
sixty  men  on  the  twelfth  of  October,  and  on  the 
twenty-third  Stockton  landed  at  San  Pedro,  and 
then  sailed  again  to  San  Diego,  which  place  he  cap- 
tured and  then  began  making  preparations  to 
mount  his  men  and  march  upon  Los  Angeles,  while 
Fremont  was  to  approach  from  Santa  Barbara. 

News  having  reached  Stockton  that  General 
Kearny  was  approaching  from  the  east,  having  sub- 
dued New  Mexico,  he  sent  Captain  Gillespie  with 
thirty -five  men  to  meet  him.  This  was  December 
3d  ;  three  dajs  later  intelligence  was  received  that 
Kearny  had  been  defeated  near  San  Pasqual,  with 
a  loss  of  eighteen  killed  and  thirteen  wounded, 
Kearny  and  Gillespie  being  among  the  latter,  and 
that  the  command  was  completely  surrounded  and 
would  be  captured  unless  relieved.  Two  hundred 
and  fifty  men  under  Lieutenant  Grey  hastened  to  the 
rescue,  the  Californians  dispersing  at  their  approach. 
Commodore  Stockton  offered  to  turn  the  command 
over  to  General  Kearny,  but  the  latter  declined. 

While  these  events  were  transpiring  at  the  south, 
Fremont  was  busy  recruiting  and  equipping  the 
California  Battalion.  From  Sutter's  Fort  to  Mon- 
terey the  settlers  enlisted  with  enthusiasm,  so  that 
a  battalion  of  four  hundred  and  twenty-eight  men 
was  recruited,  equipped  and  set  out  for  Los  Angeles 
on  the  thirteenth  of  November.  It  was  while  en 
route  to  Monterey  from  Sutter's  Fort  with  a  com- 
pany of  sixty  men,  that  Captain  Burroughs  was 
attacked  near  the  mission  of  San  Juan  by  one 
hundred  and  thirty  Californians,  on  the  sixteenth 
of  November.  He  defeated  them  but  lost  his  own 
life  and  three  of  his  men,  several  being  wounded. 

Fremont  started  with  two  cannon  and  six  hun- 
dred extra  horses,  the  rainy  season  being  at  its 
height,  and  so  severe  was  the  march  that  when  he 
arrived  at  Santa  Barbara  on  the  twenty -seventh  of 
December,  not  enough  horses  were  left  to  mount  the 
command,  many  perishing  in  the  storms,  falling 
over  precipices,  or  being  borne  away  by  mountain 
torrents.  From  here  he  started  for  Los  Angeles  on 
the  third  of  January.  1817,  Stockton  having  com- 
menced his  march  upon  the  same  place  from  San 
Diego  five  days  before,  each  being  in  ignorance  of 
the  movements  of  the  other. 

Meanwhile,  the  region  about  San  Jose'  having 
been  drained  of  men  by  recruiting  for  Fremont's 
battalion,  the  Californians  rose  in  rebellion   under 


Francisco  Sanchez,  and  near  the  last  of  December 
captured  Lieut.  W.  A.  Bartlett  near  Yerba  Buena. 
Captain  Montgomery,  commanding  at  that  place, 
organized  a  relief  party  one  hundred  and  one 
strong  and  sent  it  out  under  Capt.  Ward  Marston, 
who  overtook  Sanchez  at  the  Santa  Clara  mission, 
while  besieging  thirty  families  of  immigrants  and  a 
company  of  fifteen  men  under  Capt.  Joseph  Aram, 
and  drove  him  away,  having  two  men  wounded. 
On  the  eighth  of  January,  the  Californians  were 
compelled  to  surrender  by  Marston,  who  had 
received  reinforcements  to  the  number  of  seventy- 
two. 

As  Stockton  advanced  upon  Los  Angeles  with 
six  hundred  men  and  six  pieces  of  artillery,  he  was 
met  by  the  enemy  at  the  crossing  of  the  San 
Gabriel  river,  where  he  drove  them  from  the  field 
on  the  eighth  of  January,  losing  but  two  killed  and 
nine  wounded.  The  next  day  he  again  came  upon 
them  on  the  plains  of  the  Mesa,  six  miles  nearer 
Los  Angeles.  He  formed  his  men  in  a  hollow 
square,  and  repulsed  three  desperate  charges  by  the 
mounted  Californians.  with  great  slaughter.  Find- 
ing  it  impossible  to  check  the  advance  of  the  Ameri- 
cans, they  retired  towards  the  north,  and  on  the 
tenth  of  January,  Stockton  entered  Los  Angeles 
and  again  raised  the  stars  and  stripes.  The  forces 
of  Fremont  were  approaching  from  the  north,  and 
the  Californians,  finding  that  thej7  had  escaped  from 
Sylla  to  run  upon  Charibdis,  made  proposals  of 
peace  to  that  officer.  Commissioners  from  both 
sides  met  and  prepared  a  document,  of  which  the 
following  is  a  copy  : — 

ARTICLES  OF  CAPITULATION. 

Made  and  entered  into  at  the  Ranch  of  Couenga,  this  13th 
day  of  January,  1S47,  between  P.  B.  Reading,  Major,  Louis 
McLean,  Jr.,  commanding  Third  Artillery,  Wm.  H.  Russell, 
Ordnance  Officer,  Commissioners  appointed,  by  J.  C.  Fremont, 
Colonel  U.  S.  Army  and  Military  Commander  of  California,  and 
Jose'  Antonio  Carillo,  Comandante  Squadron,  Augustine  Olivera, 
Deputado,  Commissioners  appointed  by  Don  Andreas  Pico, 
Commander  in  Chief  of  the  California  forces  under  the  Mexican 
flag. 

Article  1st. — The  Commissioners  on  the  part  of  the  Californians 
agree  that  their  entire  force  shall,  on  presentation  of  themselves 
to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Fremont,  deliver  up  their  artillery  and 
public  arms,  and  that  they  shall  return  peaceably  to  their 
homes,  conforming  to  the  laws  and  regulations  of  the  United 
States,  and  not  again  take  up  arms  during  the  war  between  the 
United  States  and  Mexico,  but  will  assist  and  aid  in  placing  the 
country  in  a  state  of  peace  and  tranquility. 

Article  :?d. — The  Commissioners  on  the  part  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Fremont  agree  and  bind  themselves,  on  the  fulfillment  of 
the  first  article  by  the  Californians,  that  they  shall  be  guaran- 
teed protection  of  life  and  property,  whether  on  parole  or  other- 
wise. 

Article  3d. — That  until  a  treaty  of  peace  be  made  and  signed 
between  the  United  States  of  North  America  and  the  Republic 
of  Mexico,  no  Californian,  or  other  Mexican  citizen,  shall  be 
bound  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance. 

Article  4th. — That  any  Californian,  or  citizen  of  Mexico,  desir- 


16 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


ing,  is  permitted  by  this  capitulation  to  leave  the  country  with- 
out let  or  hindrance. 

Article  5th. — That  in  virtue  of  the  aforesaid  articles,  equal 
rights  and  privileges  are  vouchsafed  to  every  citizen  in  Cali- 
fornia as  are  enjoyed  by  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  of 
North  America. 

Article  6th. — All  officers,  citizens,  foreigners,  or  others,  shall 
receive  the  protection  guaranteed  by  the  2d  Article. 

Article  7th. — This  capitulation  is  intended  to  be  no  bar  in 
effecting  such  arrangements  as  may  in  future  be  in  justice 
required  by  both  parties. 

ADDITIONAL  ARTICLE. 

Cifdad  de  Los  Angeles,  January  16,  1S47. 
That   the   paroles  of   all   officers,  citizens,   or   others,   of   the 
United  States,  and  of  naturalized  citizens  of  Mexico,  are  by  this 
foregoing    capitulation   canceled,   and   every   condition    of '  said 
paroles  from  and  after  this  date,   are  of  no  further  force  and 
effect,  and  all  prisoners  of  both  parties  are  hereby  released. 
P.  B.  Reading,  Maj.  Cal.  Battalion, 
Louis  McLean,  Com'd.  Artillery, 
Wm.  H.  Russell,  Ordnance  Officer, 
Jose  Antonio  Carillo,  Com'd't.  of  Squadron. 
Augustine  Oliveka,  Deputado. 
[Approved]  J.  C.  Fremont, 

Lieut.  Ool.  U.  S.  Army,  and  Military  Commandant  of  California. 

Andreas  Pico, 
Commandant  of  Squadron,  and  Chief  of  the  National  Forces  of 
California. 

This  was  the  end  of  the  war  in  California,  and 
the  Territory  became  confirmed  as  a  portion  of  the 
United  States  by  the  treaty  of  peace  with  Mexico, 
signed  at  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  February  2,  1848. 


CHAPTER    III. 


FROM  THE  AMERICAN  CONQUEST  TO  THE 
ADMISSION  INTO  THE  UNION. 

No  SOONER  was  the  enemy  subdued  than  a  conflict 
of  authority  sprang  up  among  the  American  com- 
manders, growing  out  of  the  irregular  manner  in 
which  the  war  had  been  inaugurated  and  carried  on. 
General  Kearny  had  received  orders  to  enter  New 
Mexico  and  California,  and  if  he  subdued  them  to  es- 
tablish civil  governments  therein.  He  subdued  New 
Mexico,  established  a  government,  and  pushed  on  to 
California,  where,  instead  of  subduing,  he  was  him- 
self defeated  and  only  saved  from  annihilation  by 
the  timely  rescue  of  Lieutenant  Grey.  Nevertheless, 
he  claimed  to  be  authorized  to  establish  a  government 
here,  which  claim  was  denied  by  Stockton.  When 
Fremont  arrived  in  Los  Angeles,  the  dispute  being 
in  progress,  he  was  at  a  loss  to  know  to  which  of  the 
rival  commanders  to  make  his  report,  both  being  his 
senior  officers.  He  decided  to  report  to  Commodore 
Stockton,  and  did  so  on  the  fourteenth  of  January, 
receiving  a  commission  from  him  as  Governor  of 
California  two  days  later.  Kearny  went  to  San 
Diego  and  Stockton  sailed  for  Mexico,  leaving  Fre- 
mont at  the  head  of  affairs,  who  issued  a  proclama- 
tion on  the  twenty-second  of  February.  The  next 
day  Com.  W.  Bradford  Shubriek  arrived  in  com- 


mand of  the  Pacific  Squadron,  and  on  the  first 
of  March  joined  General  Kearny  in  a  proclamation 
in  which  Fremont  and  the  treaty  of  Couenga  were 
both  ignored,  and  all  citizens  of  California  declared  to 
be  citizens  of  the  United  States.  Kearny  signing 
himself  Governor  of  California.  This  was  the  end  of 
Fremont's  term  as  governor.  After  a  lapse  of  time 
Fremont  was  placed  under  arrest,  and  on  the  thirty- 
first  of  May,  General  Kearny  started  with  him  as  a 
prisoner  for  the  East.  He  was  tried  by  court-mar- 
tial, convicted  of  mutiny,  disobedience  and  disorderly 
conduct,  and  sentenced  to  forfeit  his  commission. 
The  President  approved  the  finding  of  the  court,  and 
then  ordered  him  on  duty  again,  which  gracious 
privilege  was  indignantly  refused  by  the  man  who 
considered  himself,  and  was  so  considered  by  thou- 
sands, most  unjustly  and  ungenerously  treated.  His 
popularity  secured  him  the  nomination  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  for  the  presidency  in  1856.  For  several 
years  he  has  been  governor  of  the  Territory  of  Ari- 
zona. 

Upon  the  departure  of  General  Kearny,  Col.  R.  B. 
Mason  assumed  the  duties  of  governor,  W.  T.  Sher- 
man (now  General  of  the  Army)  being  Adjutant 
General,  and  W.  H.  Halleck  (late  Commanding 
General  of  the  Arm.y)  Secretary  of  State. 

During  the  administration  of  Governor  Mason, 
gold  was  discovered  at  Coloma,  and  men  began  to 
pour  into  the  gold  fields  from  north,  south,  east  and 
west.  The  treaty  of  peace  between  the  United 
States  and  Mexico  was  also  signed,  by  which  New 
Mexico  and  California  were  confirmed  to  the  United 
States,  which  power  paid  $15,000,000  and  assumed 
a  debt  of  $3,500,000. 

Although  the  news  of  the  gold  discovery  had  not 
had  time  to  spread  far  enough  to  give  opportunity 
for  those  in  the  Atlantic  States  to  reach  the  coast, 
still  many  from  Oregon,  Mexico,  South  America, 
Sandwich  Islands,  and  other  convenient  countries 
arrived  in  1848,  and  on  the  first  of  January,  1849, 
the  population  was  estimated  as  follows: — 

Californians 13,000 

Americans 8,000 

Foreigners 5,000 

Total 26,000 

Early  in  the  spring  men  began  to  flock  in  from 
the  East,  coming  by  water  and  by  land,  a  steady 
stream  of  eager  humanity,  all  hastening  to  the  land 
of  gold.  The  census  of  1850  showed  an  increase  of 
one  hundred  thousand  men  during  the  year  previ- 
ous, seventy-five  per  cent,  of  whom  were  Americans. 
This  mass  of  unrestrained  humanity  required  a 
stable  government;  the  strong  arm  of  authority  was 
needed  to  protect  the  weak,  restrain  the  vicious  and 
regulate  civil  affairs.     The  laws  of  Mexico,  such  as 


were 

Mary,  Con- 

Marcellus, 

The    second 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  ARBAUGH. 

Francis  Arbaugh  was  born  in  Germany,  and  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  at  an  early  day.  He 
lived  in  Maryland,  and  then  moved  to  Virginia, 
where  John  Arbaugh  was  born  in  1794.  John 
married  Miss  May  Davidson,  daughter  of  David 
Davidson,  of  East  Tennessee.  The  marriage  took 
place  in  Alabama.  By  this  uniun  were  born 
William  Gordon,  George  Washington, 
rad,  Jacob,  John,  Andrew,  Albert, 
Elizabeth,  Eliza,  Sarah  and  Linda, 
son  and  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  at  Deca- 
tur, Alabama,  August  9,  1822.  His  boyhood 
days  were  spent  on  his  father's  farm.  There  were 
then  no  public  schools,  but  those  maintained  by 
subscription,  which  he  attended.  In  1831  he  emi- 
grated with  his  parents  to  Arkansas  and  settled  in 
Johnson  county  on  a  farm.  He  remained  till  1846, 
when  he  enlisted  for  the  Mexican  war,  but  was 
stationed  at  Fort  Gibson,  in  the  Cherokee  nation. 
At  the  end  of  a  year  he  was  mustered  out.  After 
his  return  home  he  made  a  trip  to  Iowa,  visiting 
Keokuk,  Iowa  City,  and  returning  by  Memphis  and 
Little  Rock  to  his  home.  He  then  taught  school 
three  months.  February  3,  1848,  he  married  Miss 
Rebecca  Graves,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca 
Graves,  and  a  native  of  Alabama,  born  December  25, 
1828.  In  April,  1850,  he  started  for  California, 
going  through  Texas,  New  Mexico,  and  Arizona  to 
Los  Angeles,  arriving  August  9,  1850.  He  fought 
the  Yuma  Indians  four  months  under  Gen.  J.  C. 
Moorehead,  and  returned  to  Los  Angeles  in  com- 
mand of  forty-six  men  and  was  discharged  in 
December.  He  then  went  north  on  the  route  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  railroad  to  Fine  Gold  gulch,  where 
he  mined  a  month,  and  continued  his  journey  to 
Shasta  and  a  month  later  to  Yreka  and  Scott  Bar. 
He  soon  returned  to  Shasta  and  mined  and  owned 
an  interest  in  the  Upper  ferry,  three  miles  above 
Shasta.  In  March,  1852,  he  went  to  Weaverville 
and  mined  ten  months,  when  he  returned  to  Shasta 
and  mined.  January  24,  1853,  he  started  for 
Arkansas  via  Panama  and  New  Orleans.     With  his 


wife  and  one  child  he  again  started  across  the  plains, 
and  turned  off  the  trail  at  Fort  Hall  and  went  to 
Oregon,  arriving  at  Eugene  city  October  24,  1853. 
Leaving  his  family  there  he  went  to  Shasta  and 
mined  till  the  next  year,  and  in  May  went  to  Ore- 
gon and  brought  his  family  to  Shasta  valley,  arriv- 
ing June  18,  1855.  In  1857  he  settled  on  the  farm 
on  which  he  now  resides.  They  have  had  nine 
children  : — Leona,  born  in  Arkansas  ;  Rebecca,  died 
in  infancy ;  Ruth,  born  in  Oregon ,  May,  George, 
Emily,  Benjamin,  Isabelle  and  William,  born  in  Sis- 
kiyou county.  Benjamin  died  when  six  years  old. 
Leona  is  Mrs.  A.  J.  Caldwell.  Mr.  Arbaugh's  ranch 
is  called  Wayside  ranch,  and  is  well  adapted  to 
grazing  and  grain  growing.  The  integrity  and 
strength  of  Mr.  Arbaugh's  character  are  best  con- 
veyed in  his  own  statement  of  his  religious  and 
political  creed: — "Relying  firmly  on  the  unfailing 
justice  and  boundless  mercy  of  the  Great  Author  of 
our  being,  I  cannot  conceive  that  a  state  of  eternal 
punishment  for  crime  (be  it  ever  so  heinous)  can 
enter  into  his  conception,  as  being  proportionate  and 
just.  The  immortal  soul  in  its  progressive  stages, 
may,  on  dissolution,  not  at  once  be  sufficiently 
purified  to  enter  at  once  into  the  realms  of  the 
blessed,  and  be  prepared  for  companionship  with 
more  noble  and  exalted  intelligences;  but  the  time 
will  surely  come,  when  even  the  most  degraded  and 
perverted  minds  will  arrive  at  that  stage  of  perfec- 
tion, when  all  discrimination  shall  cease,  so  that  all 
will  eventually  return  to  the  bosom  of  the  Great 
Father,  from  whence  the  essence  of  life  originated. 
The  sum  of  my  political  views  is  comprised  in  a 
strenuous  desire  to  mete  out  equal  justice  to  all 
men,  not  being  biased  by  any  consideration  of  self- 
interest  or  self-aggrandisement.  I  hold  that  the  prin- 
ciples of  truth  and  honor  are  as  rigidly  binding 
upon,  and  apply  as  well  to,  the  conduct  of  govern- 
ment affairs  as  those  of  individuals ;  and  that  the 
laws  of  the  country  should  be  so  framed  that  the 
greatest  good  may  accrue  to  the  greatest  number. 
I  am  not  a  party  man,  but  support  the  advocates  of 
and  adherents  to  the  above  principles,  when  I  have 
faith  in  their  integrity  and  capacity." 


WILLIAM  MILLER. 


MES.  WILLIAM  MILLEE. 


A  VIEW  ON  WM.  MILLER'S  RANCH,  900  ACRES,  SETTLED  BY  HIM  IN  1865. 

LITTLE  SHASTA,SISKIYOU  CO.rCAL. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


17 


did  not  conflict  with  the  statutes  of  the  United 
States,  were  in  force,  and  the  courts,  what  few  then 
existed,  were  organized  under  them.  This  did  pretty 
well  for  the  old  settlements,  but  the  new  population 
had  gone  into  the  wilderness,  they  had  founded  cities 
and  villages  in  the  great  unoccupied  valley,  and  had 
penetrated  deep  into  the  mountains,  where  law  had 
never  gone  and  courts  were  unknown.  The  neces- 
sity for  a  settled  State  or  Territorial  government  was 
urgent.  Governor  Mason  was  succeeded  in  com- 
mand of  the  military,  April  13,  1849,  by  Gen.  Ben- 
nett Riley,  who  became,  in  consequence,  Governor 
of  California.  On  the  third  of  June  he  issued  a 
proclamation,  calling  upon  the  people  to  hold  an 
election,  on  the  first  of  the  succeeding  August,  for 
judges  under  the  Mexican  laws,  and  also  to  choose 
delegates  to  a  convention  to  organize  a  Territorial 
government. 

The  elected  delegates  met  at  Monterey  on  the  first 
of  September,  and  framed  a  constitution,  which  was 
submitted  to  the  people  and  was  adopted  on  the 
thirteenth  of  November,  a  governor  being  elected 
at  the  same  time  : — 

For  the  Constitution 12,064 

Againt  the  Constitution 811 

For  Governor,  Peter  H.  Burnett 6,716 

W.  Scott  Sherwood 3,188 

J.  W.  Geary 1,475 

John  A.  Sutter 2,201 

Wm.  M.  Stewart 719 

Total  vote  on  Constitution 12,875 

Total  vote  for  Governor 14,199 

This  vote  was  light,  and  was  chiefly  cast  at  San 
Francisco,  Los  Angeles,  San  Diego,  Santa  Barbara, 
San  Jose',  Stockton,  Sacramento,  and  the  mines 
most  convenient  to  the  latter  places.  The  miners 
were  moving  about  from  place  to  place,  were  scat- 
tered along  the  rivers  and  in  the  mountains,  and 
on  account  of  the  limited  facilities  for  communica- 
tion and  the  short  time  between  the  adjournment  of 
the  convention  and  the  day  of  the  election,  there 
was  no  opportunity  offered  to  thousands  to  exercise 
the  right  of  franchise  on  this  occasion,  but  they 
gladly  acquiesced  in  the  decision  of  their  country- 
men. 

At  this  election  John  McDougal  was  chosen 
lieutenant-governor,  and  Edward  Gilbert  and 
George  W.  Wright  to  represent  the  Territory  in 
Congress,  a  full  Legislature  being  also  elected.  The 
Legislature  met  at  San  Jose,  December  15,  1849, 
and  General  Riley  turned  the  affairs  of  government 
over  into  the  hands  of  the  newly-elected  officials.  In 
joint  convention  the  Legislature  selected  John  C.  Fre- 
mont and  William  M.  Gwin  to  represent  the  State  in 
the  United  States  Senate.    They  went  to  Washington 

3 


and  made  application  for  the  admission  of  California 
into  the  Union.  A  long  and  stubborn  contest  fol- 
lowed in  the  Senate  between  the  North  and  South, 
the  latter  objecting  to  the  reception  of  the  new 
State  with  the  anti-slavery  clause  that  had  been 
engi-afted  into  the  constitution.  The  debate  was 
lead  by  such  men  as  Webster,  Clay,  Calhoun,  Doug- 
lass, Benton,  Foote,  Seward  and  Davis,  and  it  was  not 
until  the  ninth  of  September,  1850,  nearly  a  year 
after  the  adoption  of  the  constitution,  that  California 
became  one  of  the  great  "  Sisterhood  of  States. " 

Meanwhile  the  Legislature  had  enacted  laws  to 
give  effect  to  the  constitution,  had  divided  the  State 
into  counties,  and  provided  for  the  election  of  officers; 
the  elections  had  been  held  and  the  county  officers 
had  assumed  their  duties;  the  courts  of  law  had  been 
organized  under  the  constitution,  and  all  the  machin- 
ery of  State  and  local  government  was  in  operation, 
when,  on  the  eighteenth  of  October,  the  steamer 
Oregon  arrived  at  San  Francisco  with  General  John 
Bidwell,  the  bearer  of  the  joyful  intelligence  that 
California  had  been  admitted  into  the  Union. 

The  subsequent  history  of  the  State  will  be  con- 
fined to  such  as  relates  to  this  county,  space  not  per- 
mitting us  to  detail  the  many  rapid  steps  and  inter- 
esting events  that  marked  her  progress  from  1850 
to  the  present  time.  The  following  table  will  show 
at  a  glance  the  steady  progress  made  in  the  past 
thirty-three  years:  — 

CENSUS. 

1849  January  (Estimated) 26,000 

1850  "  107,000 

1852  "  264,435 

1860        June      379,994 

1870  "         560,247 

1880  "  S64.836 

The  2'overnors  of  California  since  the  American 

conquest  are  as  follows: — 

TERRITORIAL. 

TERM- 

Com.  John  D.  Sloat  .  .  July  7,  1846-Aug.  17,  1846 
Com.  R.  F.  Stockton.  .Aug.  17,  1846-Jan.  — ,  1847 
Col.  John  C.  Fremont.. Jan.  — ,  1847-Mar.  1,  1847 
Gen.  S.  W.  Kearny.  . .  Mar.    1,  1847-May  31,  1847 

Col.  R.  B.  Mason May  31,  1847-Apr.  13,  1849 

Gen.  Bennett  Riley.  .  .  Apr.  13,  1849-Dec.  20,  1849 

STATE. 

INAUGURATED. 

Peter  H.  Burnett* December  20,  1849 

John  Mc  Dougal January  9,  1851 

John  Bigler January  8,  1852 

John  Bigler January  8,  1854 

J.  Neely  Johnson January  8,  1856 

John  B.  Weller January  8,  1858 

Milton  S.  Latham* January  8,  1860 

"Resigned. 


18 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


John  G.  Downey January     14,  1860 

Leland  Stanford January      8,  1862 

Frederick  F.  Lowf December    2,  1863 

Henry  H.  Haight December    5,  1867 

Newton  Booth* December    8,  1871 

Romualdo  Pacheco February  27,  1873 

William  Irwin December    9,  1875 

George  C.  Perkins January      8,  1880 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  TRAPPERS   IN   CALIFORNIA. 

For  twenty  years,  while  California  was  a  Mexican 
territory,  the  streams  of  the  great  Sacramento  val- 
ley, and  in  the  northern  portion  of  the  State,  were 
constantly  visited  by  bands  of  trappers,  belonging 
both  to  the  several  American  fur  companies  and  to 
the  great  Hudson  Bay  Company.  A  brief  outline 
of  the  character  of  these  companies  will  be  necessary 
to  a  proper  understanding  of  the  nature  of  the  trap- 
per occupation  of  California. 

The  first  and  most  important  of  these  is  the  cele- 
brated Hudson  Bay  Company.  Very  soon  after  the 
first  colonization  of  America,  the  shipment  of  furs  to 
England  began,  and,  in  1670,  Charles  II.  granted  a 
charter  to  Prince  Rupert,  the  Duke  of  Albemarle, 
the  Earl  of  Craven,  Lord  Ashley,  and  others,  giving 
them  full  possession  of  the  country  about  Hudson 
bay,  including  all  of  British  America  not  occupied 
by  the  Russians  and  the  French.  They  established 
forts  and  a  system  of  government,  and  became  a 
most  powerful  corporation.  The  Canadians  estab- 
lished a  trading  post  at  Mackinaw,  and  many  indi- 
viduals were  engaged  independent^'  in  the  fur  trade 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  territory  occupied  by  this 
vast  monopoly.  In  1783  these  traders  united  in  one 
association,  called  the  Northwest  Company,  and  soon 
became  formidable  rivals  to  the  English  company. 
It  was  McKenzie,  of  this  new  organization,  who,  in 
1789,  penetrated  to  the  Arctic  ocean  by  the  way 
of  Slave  lake  and  McKenzie  river,  and;  in  1792, 
crossed  the  Rocky  mountains,  discovered  Frazer 
river,  and,  on  the  twentieth  of  July,  reached  the 
Pacific  ocean,  near  King's  island,  in  latitude  52°. 
From  this  time  the  competition  was  sharp  and  brisk 
between  the  rival  associations,  and  they  both  became 
powerful  and  well  settled.  The  expedition  of  Lewis 
and  Clark  to  the  Columbia  and  their  residence  arnono- 
the  Mandans,  in  the  winter  of  1804-5,  attracted  the 
attention  of  these  companies  to  this  region,  and,  in 
1806,  Simon  Frazer,  a  partner  in  the  ■  Northwest 
Company,  established  a  post  on  Frazer  lake. 

The  pioneer  among  American  traders  in  this  re- 
gion was  John  Jacob  Astor,  who  had  been  engaged 
in  the  fur  business  in  the  East  since  1784,  as  founder 

t  Term  increased  from  two  to  four  years.     ;  Resigned. 


and  manager  of  the  American  Fur  Company.  In 
1810  he  organized  the  Pacific  Fur  Company,  and 
sent  the  ten-gun  ship  Tonquin  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia,  where  it  arrived  March  22,  1811.  Mc- 
Dougal,  Tom  McKay  and  David  Stuart,  partners  in 
the  company,  were  passengers.  They  erected  a  fort 
near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  named  it  Astoria. 
Captain  Thorn  then  sailed  with  the  vessel  along  the 
coast,  to  trade  with  the  natives,  and  himself  and 
all  on  board,  save  the  interpreter,  were  killed  by 
Indians  at  Vancouver's  island.  In  July  a  party  of 
the  Northwest  Company,  under  Mr.  Thompson,  ar- 
rived at  Astoria,  with  the  intention  of  taking  pos- 
session of  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  river,  but, 
finding  themselves  anticipated  by  the  Americans, 
retraced  their  steps  to  Montreal.  On  the  fifteenth  of 
February,  1812,  a  party  of  the  Pacific  Fur  Company, 
under  Wilson  Price  Hunt,  arrived  at  Astoria,  after 
an  overland  journey  of  privation  and  danger  lasting 
eighteen  months.  In  May,  of  the  same  year,  the  ship 
Beaver  arrived  from  New  York  with  supplies.  Posts 
had  been  established  on  Okinagan,  on  the  Spokane, 
and  above  the  mouth  of  the  Shahaptan,  but,  in 
1813,  news  was  received  of  the  war  between  Great 
Britain  and  the  United  States,  and  the  expected  ar- 
rival of  a  British  war  vessel. 

The  interior  posts  were  abandoned,  and  the  non- 
arrival  of  supply  ships  from  New  York,  caused  by 
the  uncertainties  of  war  and  the  dangers  of  naviga- 
tion, so  unsettled  McDougal,  the  partner  in  charge, 
that  when  two  parties  of  the  Northwest  Company, 
under  McTavish  and  Stuart,  arrived  at  Astoria,  in 
October,  1813,  and  announced  the  expected  arrival 
of  two  war  vessels,  the  Phoebe  and  Isaac  Todd,  he 
sold  all  the  property  to  that  association  for  one-third 
its  value,  and,  to  show  his  bad  faith,  soon  after 
became  a  partner  in  the  same  company.  A  little  later 
the  Raccoon  arrived  and  took  possession  of  Astoria  in 
the  name  of  His  Britannic  Majesty,  and  changed  the 
name  to  Fort  George.  The  fort  was  restored  to  the 
United  States  in  1818,  under  provisions  of  the  treaty 
of  Ghent,  but  the  government  failed  to  grant  the  en- 
couragement to  Mr.  Astor  that  he  solicited  and  should 
have  received,  and  this  region  was  left  to  the  occupa- 
tion of  the  Northwest  Company.  After  a  war  of 
two  years  between  the  rival  English  companies,  in 
which  a  bloody  battle  was  fought  in  the  Red  River 
country,  they  united,  in  1824,  in  one  corporation, 
under  the  name  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  the 
principal  establishment  on  the  coast  being  Fort  Van- 
couver, built  by  the  Northwest  Company  in  1821. 
For  years  they  dominated  this  region,  having  posts 
in  the  whole  Columbia  basin,  until  the  establishment 
of  the  boundary  line  north  of  Washington  Territory 
compelled  them  to  withdraw  into  British  America, 
in  1844.     The  charter  of  the  company  having  ex- 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


19 


pired,  it  now  possesses  no  territorial  rights,  and  is 
simply  a  trading  company,  handling,  with  C.  M. 
Lampson  &  Co.,  of  London,  the  bulk  of  the  fur 
trade  of  the  world. 

Next  in  importance  are  the  companies  of  Ameri- 
can trappers  that  approached  from  the  east,  crossed 
the  Rocky  mountains  and  made  their  way  to  the 
Pacific  coast.  In  1762  the  province  of  Louisiana, 
embracing  all  of  the  western  portion  of  the  United 
States  not  claimed  by  Spain,  belonged  to  France, 
and  the  governor  chartered  a  fur  company  under 
the  name  of  Pierre  Ligueste  Laclede,  Antoine 
Maxan  &  Co.  Laclede  established  St.  Louis  the 
following  year,  and  it  became  a  headquarters  for 
the  fur  trade  similar  to  Mackinaw  and  Montreal. 
The  business  of  this  company  and  many  others  that 
engaged  along  the  Missouri  in  the  trapping  of 
beaver  became  very  large.  The  acquisition  of 
Louisiana  by  the  United  States  threw  this  trade 
into  the  hands  of  the  Americans.  In  1815  Con- 
gress passed  an  Act  expelling  British  traders  from 
all  the  Territories  east  of  the  Rock}*-  mountains, 
and  the  North  American  Company,  at  the  head  of 
which  Mr.  Astor  had  been  for  many  years,  began 
to  send  trappers  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  Missouri  rivers.  American"  trappers 
also  penetrated  into  New  Mexico  and  established  a 
trade  between  St.  Louis  and  Santa  Fe.  Up  to  this 
time  but  one  attempt  had  been  made  by  trappers 
to  penetrate  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  that  was  in 
1808  by  the  Missouri  Fur  Company,  at  the  head  of 
which  was  a  Spaniard  named  Manuel  Lisa.  Posts 
were  established  on  the  upper  Missouri  and  one  on 
Lewis  river,  the  south  branch  of  the  Columbia,  but 
the  failure  of  supplies  and  the  hostility  of  the  sav- 
ages caused  its  abandonment  by  the  manager,  Mr. 
Henry,  in  1810. 

In  1823,  Gen.  W.  H.  Ashley,  a  St.  Louis  mer- 
chant long  engaged  in  the  fur  trade,  pushed  a  trap- 
ping party  into  the  Rocky  mountains.  He  went 
up  the  Platte  to  the  Sweetwater  and  up  that  stream 
to  its  source,  discovered  the  South  Pass,  explored 
the  head-waters  of  the  Colorado,  or  Green,  river  and 
returned  to  St.  Louis  in  the  fall.  The  next  year  he 
again  penetrated  the  mountains  and  built  a  trading 
fort  on  Lake  Ashley,  near  Great  Salt  lake,  and 
returned,  leaving  there  one  hundred  men.  From 
that  time  the  head-waters  of  the  Missouri  and  its 
tributaries,  the  Green  and  Columbia  rivers  and 
their  tributaries,  were  the  trapping  ground  of  hun- 
dreds of  daring  men,  whose  wild  and  reckless  life, 
privations  and  encounters  with  the  savages  make  a 
theme  of  romance  that  has  occupied  the  pen  of 
Washington  Irving  and  many  authors  of  lesser  note, 
and  been  the  source  from  which  the  novelists  of 
the   sensational   school   have    drawn   a   wealth   of 


material.  It  was  the  custom  to  divide  the  trappers 
into  bands  of  sufficient  strength  to  defend  them- 
selves against  the  attacks  of  savages,  and  send  them 
out  in  different  directions  during  the  trapping  sea- 
son, to  assemble  the  next  summer  at  a  grand  ren- 
dezvous  previously  appointed,  the  head- waters  of  the 
Green  river  being  the  favorite  locality  for  the 
annual  meeting.  In  the  spring  of  1825  Jedediah 
S.  Smith  led  a  company  of  this  kind,  consisting  of 
about  forty  men,  into  the  country  west  of  Great 
Salt  lake,  discovered  Humboldt  river  and  named  it 
Mary's  river,  followed  down  that  stream  and  crossed 
the  Sierra  Nevada  into  the  great  valley  in  July. 
He  collected  a  large  quantit}^  of  furs,  established  a 
headquarters  on  the  American  river  near  Folsom, 
and  then  with  two  companions  recrossed  the  mount- 
ains through  Walker's  pass  and  returned  to  the 
general  rendezvous  on  Green  river,  to  tell  of  the 
wonderful  valley  he  had  visited. 

Cronise  speaks  of  American  trappers  having 
penetrated  into  California  as  early  as  1820,  but  is 
evidently  mistaken,  as  there  is  no  record  of  any 
party  crossing  the  Rocky  mountains  previous  to  the 
expedition  of  Mr.  Ashley  in  1823,  save  Lewis  and 
Clark  iu  1804,  Missouri  Fur  Company  in  1808,  and 
the  Pacific  Fur  Company  under  Wilson  P.  Hunt  in 
1811.  Jedediah  S.  Smith  must  stand  in  history  as 
the  first  white  man  to  lead  a  party  overland  into 
California. 

The  return  of  Smith  with  such  a  valuable  collec- 
tion of  furs  and  specimens  of  placer  gold  he  had  dis- 
covered on  his  return  journey  near  Mono  lake,  led 
to  his  being  sent  again  the  next  season  with  instruc- 
tions to  thoroughly  inspect  the  gold  placers  on  the 
way.  This  time  he  went  as  a  partner,  Mr.  Ashley 
having  sold  his  interest  to  the  Rocky  mountain  Fur 
Company,  consisting  of  William  Sublette,  Jedediah 
S.  Smith  and  David  Jackson.  He  passed  as  far  south 
as  the  Colorado  river,  and  here  had  a  battle  with 
the  Indians,  in  which  all  but  himself,  Turner  and 
Galbraith  were  killed.  They  escaped  and  arrived 
at  the  Mission  San  Gabriel,  where  they  were 
arrested  as  fillibusters  and  sent  to  San  Diego,  where 
they  were  released  upon  a  certificate  from  the 
officers  of  some  American  vessels  that  chanced  to  be 
on  the  coast,  that  they  were  peaceful  trappers  and 
had  passports  from  the  Commissioner  of  Indian 
Affairs.  This  certificate  bears  date  December  20, 
1826,  and  in  the  following  May  we  find  them  in 
camp  near  San  Jose",  where  the  following  letter  was 
written  to  Father  Duran,  who  had  sent  to  know 
what  their  presence  there  signified: — 

Reverend  Father: — I  understand  through  the  medium  of 
one  of  your  Christian  Indians,  that  you  are  anxious  to  know 
who  we  are,  as  some  of  the  Indians  have  been  at  the  mission 
and  informed  you  that  there  were  certain  white  people  in  the 
country.      We  are  Americans  on  our  journey  to  the  River  Co- 


20 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


lumbia;  we  were  in  at  the  Mission  San  Gabriel  in  January  last. 
I  went  to  San  Diego  and  saw  the  general  and  got  a  passport  from 
him  to  pass  on  to  that  place.  I  have  made  several  efforts  to 
cross  the  mountains,  but  the  snows  being  so  deep,  I  could  not 
succeed  in  getting  over.  I  returned  to  this  place  (it  being  the 
only  point  to  kill  meat),  to  wait  a  few  weeks  until  the  snow 
melts  so  that  I  can  go  on;  the  Indians  here  also  being  friendly,  I 
consider  it  the  most  safe  point  for  me  to  remain,  until  such  time 
as  I  can  cross  the  mountains  with  my  horses,  having  lost  a  great 
many  in  attempting  to  cross  ten  or  fifteen  days  since.  I  am  a 
long  ways  from  home,  and  am  anxious  to  get  there  as  soon  as 
the  nature  of  the  case  will  admit.  Oar  situation  is  quite 
unpleasant,  being  destitute  of  clothing  and  most  of  the  neces- 
saries of  life,  wild  meat  being  our  principal  subsistence.  I  am, 
Reverend  Father,  your  strange  but  real  friend  and  Christian 
brother,  J.  S.  Smith. 

May  19th,  1S27. 

Reuniting  himself  with  the  company  he  had  left 
on  the  American  river  the  year  before,  Smith 
started  for  the  Columbia  river.  Near  the  head  of 
the  Sacramento  valley  he  passed  out  to  the  west, 
reaching  the  ocean  near  the  mouth  of  Russian  river, 
and  followed  the  coast  line  as  far  as  the  Umpqua 
river,  near  Cape  Arago,  when  all  but  himself, 
Daniel  Prior  and  Richard  Laughlin,  were  treach- 
erously murdered  by  savages,  losing  all  their  traps 
and  furs.  These  men  escaped  to  Fort  Vancouver  and 
related  their  misadventure  to  Dr.  McLaughlin,  the 
agent  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company.  Smith  proposed 
to  the  agent  that  if  he  would  send  a  party  to  punish 
the  Indians  and  recover  his  property,  he  would  con- 
duct them  to  the  rich  trapping  grounds  he  had  just 
left,  and  for  this  reason  as  well  as  because  it  was 
the  policy  of  that  corporation  never  to  let  an  out- 
rage go  unpunished,  an  expedition  was  sent  out, 
chastised  the  savages  and  recovered  most  of  the 
stolen  property.  Smith  and  a  portion  of  this  com- 
pany returned  to  Vancouver,  while  the  balance,  led 
by  Alexander  Roderick  McLeod,  entered  California 
that  fall  by  the  route  Smith  had  come  out,  and 
trapped  on  the  streams  of  the  valley.  In  the  early 
part  of  the  winter  he  was  caught  in  a  severe  snow- 
storm on  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  ■  Sacramento, 
in  Shasta  county,  and  narrowly  escaped  starvation. 
They  lost  all  their  horses,  and  cached  their  furs,  and 
after  terrible  suffering  and  exposure  made  their  way 
back  to  Vancouver.  This  stream  has  since  borne 
his  name,  but  by  one  of  those  lapses  of  ignorance 
and  carelessness,  by  means  of  which  history  is  con- 
stantly being  perverted,  the  stream  is  set  down  upon 
the  maps  as  the  McCloud.  The  reason  for  this  is 
that  the  pronunciation  of  the  two  names  is  quite 
similar,  and  that  Ross  McCloud,  a  very  worthy  and 
well-known  gentleman,  resided  on  the  stream  in  an 
early  day,  but  not  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  after 
it  received  its  baptism  of  McLeod.  The  original 
and  true  name  should  be  restored  to  it. 

Upon  the  return  of  McLeod's  unfortunate  party 
to  the  fort,  another,  under  Capt.  Peter  Ogden  and 


accompanied  by  Smith,  started  for  the  new  trap- 
ping grounds  by  a  different  route.  They  passed  up 
the  Columbia  and  Lewis  rivers  to  the  source  of  the 
latter,  at  which  point  Smith  left  them  and  returned 
to  the  rendezvous  of  his  company,  to  report  his 
many  misfortunes.  He  sold  his  interest  in  the 
Rocky  Mountain  Company  in  1830,  and  in  1831 
was  treacherously  killed  by  Indians  while  digging 
for  water  in  the  dry  bed  of  the  Cimeron  river,  near 
Taos,  New  Mexico,  and  was  buried  there  by  his 
companions.  This  is  the  last  resting-place  of  the 
pioneer  overland  traveler  to  the  beautiful  valley  of 
California.  After  Smith  took  his  leave  on  Lewis 
river  in  1828,  Ogden's  party  continued  south-west 
through  Utah  and  Nevada  and  entered  the  San 
Joaquin  valley  through  Walker's  pass.  They 
trapped  up  the  valley  to  its  head  and  then  passed 
over  to  the  coast  and  up  to  Vancouver  by  the  route 
Smith  had  formerly  traveled. 

When  Smith  sold  his  interest  in  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ain Company,  William  Sublette  and  David  Jackson 
retired  also,  and  the  new  partners  were  Milton  Sub- 
lette, James  Bridget".  Robert  Campbell,  Fitzpatrick, 
Frapp,  and  Jarvais.  In  1831  the  old  American  Fur 
Company  that  had  been  managed  so  long  by  Mr. 
Astor  but  now  superintended  by  Ramsey  Crooks, 
began  to  push  into  the  trapping  grounds  of  the  other 
company,  and  sent  out  a  large  and  well-appointed 
party  under  the  command  of  Major  Vanderburg  and 
Mr.  Dripps.  Great  rivalry  sprang  up  between  the 
two  companies,  intensified  the  following  year  by  the 
appearance  of  a  third  competitor,  in  the  person  of 
Capt.  B.  L.  E.  Bonneville,  with  a  well-organized 
party  of  one  hundred  and  ten  men,  and  a  small 
party  of  Massachusetts  men  under  Nathaniel 
Wyeth,  who  built  a  fort  in  1834  on  Snake  river, 
called  Fort  Hall,  and  sold  it  to  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company  the  following  year. 

In  the  spring  of  1832,  Michael  Laframbois  entered 
the  Sacramento  valley  at  the  head  of  a  part\r  of 
Hudson  Bay  Company's  trappers,  visiting  the 
streams  as  far  south  as  Tulare  lake,  and  returned 
over  the  usual  route  along  the  coast  to  Fort  Van- 
couver the  following  spring. 

In  the  winter  of  1829-30  Ewinw  Youno-  had  led 
a  party  into  the  San  Joaquin  valley,  through 
Walker's  pass,  and  had  trapped  on  the  streams  of 
that  valley  and  those  that  flow  into  Tulare  lake. 
He  had  for  several  years  been  in  charge  of  trapping 
parties  that  operated  upon  the  headwaters  of  the 
Del  Norte,  Rio  Grande  and  Colorado  rivers.  In 
the  fall  of  1832,  Young  again  entered  the  valley 
from  the  south  by  the  Tejon  pass,  when  the  Hud- 
son Bay  party  under  Laframbois  was  trapping 
there.  Young  ascended  King's  river  to  the  foot- 
hills and  struck  north,  reaching  the   San  Joaquin 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


21 


where  it  debouches  from  the  mountains.  A  canoe 
was  made  in  which  the  men  navigated  the  stream 
down  to  the  mouth  of  the  Merced,  where  they  were 
joined  by  the  balance  of  the  party.  Having  found 
on  both  of  these  streams  evidences  of  a  recent  visit 
by  trappers,  they  struck  across  the  country  with 
the  design  of  getting  in  advance  of  their  rivals,  and 
on  the  Sacramento,  ten  miles  below  the  site  of  Sac- 
ramento city,  'they  came  upon  Laframbois  and  his 
party.  Young  pushed  on  to  the  mouth  of  Feather 
river,  then  went  west  and  camped  for  a  while  in 
Capay  valley,  finally  crossed  the  mountains  to  the 
coast  and  continued  north  to  the  Umpqua,  where 
Smith  had  met  with  such  a  disaster  five  years  before. 
They  then  recrossed  the  mountains  to  the  eastward, 
pursuing  their  occupation  on  the  tributary  streams 
of  the  Columbia,  entering  the  Sacramento  vallej' 
again  in  the  winter  of  1833-4,  from  the  north. 
They  continued  towards  the  south,  trapping  on  the 
various  streams,  and  finally  passed  out  to  the  east 
by  the  Tejon  pass. 

The  condition  of  the  Indians  in  the  valley  as 
Young  passed  down  this  last  .time  was  truly  pitiful. 
During  the  previous  summer  an  epidemic  scourge 
had  visited  them  and  swept  away  whole  villages 
and  tribes.  Where  before  had  been  many  happy 
bands  of  natives  who  gazed  upon  their  white  visitors 
with  awe  and  astonishment,  now  was  mourning  and 
desolation,  and  the  few  remaining  natives  that  had 
survived  the  general  reign  of  death  fled  from  the 
approach  of  the  whites,  for  to  them  did  they  ascribe 
the  visit  of  the  death  angel.  There  are  a  few  still 
living  who  survived  this  terrible  visitation,  and  they 
refer  tc  it  with  sorrow  and  sadness. 

Still  another  band  of  trappers  visited  the  valley 
in  1833.  Captain  Bonneville  sent  Jos.  R.  Walker 
with  a  party  of  forty  men  to  explore  the  country 
about  Great  Salt  lake,  the  company  starting  from 
the  Green  river  rendezvous  in  July,  1833.  The}' 
suffered  from  want  of  food  and  water  in  the  desert 
to  the  west  of  the  lake,  until  they  struck  Mary's,  or 
Ogden's  river,  now  the  Humboldt,  which  they  fol- 
lowed to  the  sink  and  then  decided  to  cross  the 
mountains  into  California. 

(See  biography  of  Stephen  H.  Meek,  below.) 

The  company  failed  entirely  to  accomplish  its 
mission,  and  the  disappointment  and  loss  of  this 
expedition,  as  well  as  failure  in  other  ventures, 
caused  Captain  Bonneville  to  abandon  the  fur  trade 
and  return  to  the  States.  In  1835,  the  two  rival 
fur  companies  united  as  the  American  Fur  Com- 
pany, Bridger,  Fontenelle  and  Dripps  being  the 
leaders.  The  same  year,  also,  Mr.  Wyeth  sold  Fort 
Hall  and  his  stock  of  goods  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany and  retired  to  civilized  life.  This  left  the  con- 
solidated company  and  a  few  "  lone  traders  "  the  only 


competitors  of  the  great  English  corporation.  For 
several  years  longer  the  competition  was  main- 
tained, but  gradually  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany by  reason  of  its  position  and  superior  manage- 
ment absorbed  the  trade,  until  the  American  trap- 
pers, so  far  as  organized  effort  was  concerned,  aban- 
doned the  field. 

Every  party  of  American  trappers  that  passed 
through  California  left  a  few  of  its  number  there, 
and  when  the  fur  trade  began  to  break  up,  in  1838 
and  the  succeeding  few  years,  many  of  them  came  to 
settle  here  and  in  the  Willamette  valley,  in  Oregon. 
The  Hudson  Bay  Company,  whose  agents  here  from 
1833  were  J.  Alexander  Forbes  and  W.  G.  Ray,  with- 
ch'ew  from  this  region  in  1845,  and  the  fur  business  in 
California  came  to  an  end.  There  is  now  residing 
in  Siskiyou  county  and  still  pursuing  his  old  occupa- 
tion of  hunting  and  trapping,  one  of  these  old  mount- 
ain men,  Stephen  H.  Meek,  whose  portrait  and 
biography  are  given  in  this  volume.  Also  living  at 
Los  Angeles  is  Col.  J.  J.  Warner,  who  was  here  in 
1832-34  with  the  Ewing  Young  party.  Mr.  Forbes, 
the  Hudson  Bay  Company's  agent,  resided  in  Oak- 
land until  his  death  a  few  months  ago. 

STEPHEN  HALL  MEEK. 

There  is  probably  not  now  living  a  mountain  man 
who  has  had  so  varied  an  experience  and  so  many 
wild  adventures,  hair-breadth  escapes  and  battles 
with  savage  animals  and  no  less  savage  men,  as  the 
veteran  trapper,  Stephen  H.  Meek.  He  was  born  in 
Washington  county,  Virginia,  on  the  Fourth  of  July, 
1807,  and  is  a  relative  of  President  Polk.  He  attended 
the  common  schools  of  the  day  when  young.  When 
scarcely  twenty  years  of  age  he  became  imbued  with 
that  restless  spirit  of  adventure  that  has  since  been 
a  marked  characteristic  of  his  life,  and  left  his  home 
for  the  then  comparatively  unknown  West.  St.  Louis 
was  at  that  time  the  center  of  the  fur  trade  of  the 
United  States,  and  when  he  reached  that  city  he 
engaged  with  the  Rocky  Mountain  Fur  Company,  to 
work  in  their  warehouse.  He  was  placed  by  the 
celebrated  William  Sublette  in  the  cellar,  with  sev- 
eral other  green  hands,  to  "rum  the  beaver,"  which 
operation  consisted  of  spreading  the  skins  out  upon 
the  cellar  floor  and  sprinkling  them  with  rum  for 
preservation.  Sublette  left  them  with  the  remark, 
"Don't  you  boys  get  tight,  now,"  at  which  idea  they 
laughed.  Soon  the  fumes  from  the  rum  began  to  affect 
them,  and  it  was  not  long  before  they  were  reeling 
about  the  cellar  apparently  helplessly  drunk.  Sub- 
lette then  put  in  an  appearance  and  pretended  to  be 
angry  with  them.  "Can't  I  leave  you  here  alone 
for  a  few  minutes  without  }'our  getting  drunk?  Do 
you  think  that  is  the  kind  of  men  I  want  about  me? 
Here,"  said  he,  "  drink  this,"  and  he  drew  a  cup  of 


22 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


rum  from  the  barrel.  This  had  the  effect  of  making 
them  sober  again,  and  Sublette  again  left  them  with 
the  remark,  "The  next  time  you  rum  the  beaver  just 
rum  yourselves  first." 

In  1829  he  went  to  Lexington,  Missouri,  and 
worked  in  a  steam  saw-mill  erected  by  his  brother, 
Hiram  C.  Meek,  then  a  merchant  of  that  place  and 
now  living  in  Jackson,  Amador  county,  California, 
at  the  advaced  age  of  ninety-three  years.  In  the 
spring  of  1830,  Meek  joined  a  party  being  taken  to 
the  mountains  by  William  Sublette  and  Robert 
Campbell,  and  there  commenced  that  wild  life  of 
adventure  he  led  so  many  years.  The  great  annual 
gathering  of  the  trappers  that  season  was  held  at 
the  favorite  rendezvous  on  Green  river,  and  four 
rival  companies  were  there  competing  for  the  pat- 
ronage of  the  Indians  and  free  trappers,  the  Rocky 
Mountain  Company,  the  American  Company,  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company,  and  an  independent  com- 
pany. It  was  the  custom  to  send  trapping  parties, 
or  brigades,  in  different  directions  to  trap,  all  of 
them  assembling  again  the  next  summer  at  some 
rendezvous  previously  agreed  upon.  Meek  joined 
the  brigade  of  Milton  Sublette  and  went  to  the 
Lewis  fork  of  the  Columbia  river  and  wintered  at 
Blackfoot  lake.  In  the  fall  of  1831  he  was  again 
with  Milton  Sublette,  and  trapped  in  the  Black 
Hills,  near  where  Fort  Laramie  was  afterwards 
built,  on  the  head-waters  of  the  Platte.  The  winter 
was  spent  on  Powder  river,  and  in  the  spring  they 
went  to  Wind  river  and  trapped  on  that  stream, 
the  Yellowstone,  Mussel  Shell  river,  and  back 
through  Jackson's  hole  to  Wind  river,  the  rendez- 
vous being  at  the  mouth  of  Tar,  or  Popyoisa,  river, 
a  tributary  of  that  stream.  In  the  fall  of  1832 
Meek  went  to  the  Blackfoot  country  with  Bridger's 
brigade  ;  crossed  to  Powder  and  Yellowstone,  and 
then  to  the  Missouri ;  went  up  that  stream  to  the 
three  forks,  and  up  the  left-hand  fork  to  the  head  of 
Big  Gray  Bull  river,  a  tributary  of  the  Yellowstone; 
then  to  Green  river,  and  finally  wintered  on  Snake 
river,  where  Fort  Hall  was  afterwards  built.  In 
the  spring  they  trapped  Salmon,  Snake  and  Point 
Neuf,  and  then  went  to  Green  river  rendezvous. 
There  he  hired  to  Capt.  B.  L.  E.  Bonneville  to 
accompany  an  expedition  of  thirty-four  men  under 
Joseph  Walker  to  explore  the  Great  Salt  lake. 
They  got  too  far  west,  and  finally  started  down  the 
Mary's,  or  Humboldt,  river  for  California,  over  a 
country  entirely  unknown  to  the  trappers.  They 
discovered  Truckee,  Carson  and  Walker  rivers, 
Donner  lake  and  Walker's  pass,  through  which 
they  went  and  pitched  their  camp  for  the  winter  on 
the  shore  of  Tulare  lake,  in  December,  1833. 
Walker  with  a  party  of  ten  men  went  to  Monterey 
and  returned  in  March,  when  they  broke  camp  and 


retraced  their  steps  to  Humboldt  river;  thence 
south  to  the  Colorado;  thence  up  that  stream; 
thence  north  again,  passing  west  of  Great  Salt  lake 
to  Bear  river,  where  they  met  Bonneville.  In  the 
fall  of  1834  Meek  went  with  Bonneville  and  twenty- 
two  men,  and  trapped  Snake  river  and  all  its  tribu- 
taries to  Walla  Walla;  then  up  John  Day  river, 
over  to  Lake  Harney;  then  to  Melheur,  Owyhee  and 
Powder  rivers  and  wintered  on  Snake  river.  In  the 
spring  of  1835,  Meek  started  for  the  Willamette 
valley  and  when  he  reached  Walla  Walla  engaged  to 
the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  staying  till  the  spring 
of  1836  at  Vancouver.  That  spring  he  went  with 
a  party  of  men  under  the  celebrated  Tom  McKay 
to  California,  trapping  Scott  river  and  the  Sacra- 
mento. They  went  to  Yerba  Buena  (San  Fran- 
cisco) and  left  their  furs  with  the  agent  of  the  com- 
pany, Mr.  Ray,  and  then  returned,  trapping  on  the 
American,  Yuba,  Feather,  Pit,  McLeod  and  Shasta 
rivers,  and  then  to  Vancouver. 

In  the  spring  of  1837  he  went  to  the  Rocky 
mountains  with  a  few  companions,  trapping  on  the 
way,  selling  pelts  to  Bridger  at  Green  river.  He 
then  trapped  in  the  Black  Hills,  on  the  Sweetwater 
and  Platte,  and  wintered  at  Fort  Laramie,  which 
was  just  built  by  William  Sublette.  In  the  spring 
of  1838  Meek  went  south  to  Pike's  Peak,  then  to 
Taos,  New  Mexico,  then  to  the  Arkansas  and  to  the 
north  fork  of  the  Platte,  and  wintered  at  the  mouth 
of  Cherry  creek,  where  Andrew  Sublette  built  Fort 
Robert  (Campbell)  opposite  the  city  of  Denver. 
That  winter  he  went  to  Independence  on  horseback, 
carrying  the  annual  express.  Having  ten  days  to 
spare,  he  went  to  Lexington  to  see  his  brother  and 
sister.  While  there  he  called  on  some  young  ladies 
to  whom  he  related  many  incidents  in  his  mountain 
life,  which  so  startled  their  worthy  mother  that  she 
exclaimed,  "Law  sakes!  Mr.  Meek,  didn't  you  never 
get  killed  by  none  of  them  Indians  and  bears  ? " 
"  Oh,  yes,  madame,"  said  he  gravely,  "  I  was  fre- 
quently killed."  Going  back  to  Laramie  with  the 
express,  he  made  the  spring  hunt  with  Frapp's  brig- 
ade, and  in  July  went  as  wagon-master  of  the  train 
of  ox-teams  taking  the  furs  to  Independence.  He 
spent  the  winter  in  St.  Louis,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1840  engaged  with  McGoffin  Bros,  to  take  a  train  of 
wagons  to  Santa  Fe  and  Chihuahua.  He  wintered 
in  the  latter  place,  and  in  the  spring  of  1841  joined 
a  party  of  American  mountaineers  under  James 
Kirker,  engaged  by  the  governor  of  Chihuahua  to 
fight  the  Apaches.  Several  battles  were  fought, 
but  in  the  fall  a  new  governor  was  appointed  who 
thought  Mexican  troops  should  fight  Mexican  bat- 
tles, and  the  Americans  were  recalled.  They  came 
in  with  fifteen  thousand  head  of  captured  stock,  for 
which  they  received  two  dollars  and  one-half  each, 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


23 


according  to  agreement.     He  again  spent  the  win- 
ter there,  and  in  March,  1842,  returned  to  Indepen- 
dence, where  he  found  seventeen  families  waiting  to 
go  to  Oregon,  who  engaged  him  as  a  guide.     He 
took   them  as  far  as  Green  river,  where  they  were 
overtaken  by  Fitzpatrick's  brigade  on  the  way  to 
Fort  Hall,  and  several  of  the  families  cut  up   their 
wagons  and  made  pack-saddles,  and  packing  their 
effects  on    their    animals,    went    along    with    Fitz- 
patrick.     The  balance  of  the  wagons    Meek   con- 
ducted safely  to  Fort  Hall,  and  by  going  through  a 
new  route,  known  as  Meek's,  or  Sublette's,  cut-off, 
he  arrived  there  the  same  day  the  others  did,  much 
to  their  surprise.     The  wagons  were  left  there,  and 
the   goods    were    then    packed    upon    the    animals. 
They  went  down  Snake  river  and  by  Boise  river  to 
its  mouth,  crossed   Snake  again,  down  to  Brule,  or 
Burnt,   river,    up   to   Powder  and   Grande     Ronde, 
crossed  the  Blue  mountains  at  Jason  Lee's  encamp- 
ment to  the  Umatilla,  down  the   Columbia   and  to 
the  Dalles,  then  by  the    Mt.  Hood  trail  to   Oregon 
City,  which  was  laid  out  that  fall  by  L.  W.  Hast- 
ings of  this  train  as  agent  of  Dr.  McLaughlin,  Meek 
carrying   the    chain.     In    the    spring    of    1843    he 
piloted  a  few  of  those  who  had  become  dissatisfied 
with  Oregon  to  California,  over  the  old  Hudson  Bay 
trail,    meeting    Capt.    Joe    Walker    and    others    in 
Rogue  River  valley  with  two   thousand   cattle  com- 
ing from  California.     He  went  to  Sutter's  Fort  and 
then  to  Monterey  where  he  spent  the  winter.     Here 
he    met    Captain    Smith    with    the    trading    vessel 
George  and  Henry  of  Baltimore,   who   persuaded 
Meek  to  start   with   him   on  a  voyage  around  the 
world.      When    they    reached    Valparaiso,    Smith 
received  advices  that  called  him   at   once  to   Balti- 
more and  he  and  Meek  started  in  a  packet  for  the 
Isthmus.     They  reached  Gaquille,  Columbia,  where 
Meek  nearly  died  with  the   yellow  fever,  then   to 
Panama   where   they  took  a  vessel  for  New  York. 
Arriving  there  in  July,  1844,  Meek  went  to  Pitts- 
burg with  some  Sante   Fe   traders,  then   to  his  old 
home  in  Virginia,  where  he  found   an   absence  of 
seventeen  years  had    made  him   almost  a  stranger. 
In  March,  1845,  he  went  to  New  Orleans  and  then 
up   the  river   to   St.  Louis   where  he  got  letters  of 
recommendation  from    Fitzpatrick,    William     Sub- 
lette, and   Robert  Campbell,  which  secured  him  the 
position  of  guide   to  the  immense  emigr-ant  train  of 
four  hundred  and  eighty  wagons  then  preparing  to 
go  to  Oregon.    They  started  on  the  eleventh  of  May, 
1845,  on  which   day  Meek   first  saw    Elizabeth    R. 
Schoonover,    whom     he     married    a    week     later. 
Arriving  at  Fort  Hall,  one-third  of  the  train  under 
William  B.  Ide,  of  bear  flag  notoriety,  went  to  Cal- 
ifornia, guided  by  the  old  trapper,  Greenwood.    The 
balance  Meek  conducted  safely  to   Oregon,  the  first 


large  train  of  wagons  ever  taken  through.  He 
lived  in  Linn  City  and  Oregon  City  till  the  spring 
of  1848,  when  he  went  with  his  wife  and  child  to 
San  Francisco.  In  October  of  that  year  he  went  to 
the  mines  at  Coloma,  and  in  January,  1849,  opened 
a  butcher  shop  there.  That  summer  his  wife  went 
to  Oregon  and  in  December,  1850,  Meek  followed. 

In  the  spring  of  1851  he  started  for  Scott  river, 
but  stopped  at  Yreka  and  mined  till  October,  when 
he  returned  with  $6,000.  In  the  spring  he  went  by 
sea  to  San  Francisco  with  his  family,  and  took  a 
stock  of  goods  to  Coloma,  which  he  sold,  and  went 
to  mining.  The  mine  caved  in,  and  he  sold  out  and 
went  to  Santa  Cruz  and  opened  a  butcher  shop. 
While  here  he  paid  $34,000,  cash,  for  a  Mexican 
grant  near  Watson ville,  which  the  former  owner's 
heirs  got  away  from  him  again  in  the  courts.  Being 
now  poor  again,  he  went  to  Frazer  river  in  the  excite- 
ment of  1858,  but  returned  poorer  than  before.  In 
1859  he  went  to  Jackson,  Amador  county,  and 
mined  until  the  death  of  his  wife,  in  1865.  Taking' 
his  37oungest  child,  George,  then  four  years  of  age, 
he  went  in  search  of  his  wife's  father,  and  found  him 
at  Humboldt  bay.  In  the  spring  of  1867  he  took  a 
train  of  twenty-two  wagons,  loaded  with  quartz 
machinery,  from  Sacramento  to  South  Boise,  Idaho, 
and  then  went  to  the  ranch  of  his  brother,  the  well- 
known  Joe  Meek,  near  Portland,  where  he  spent 
the  winter.  In  1868  he  piloted  a  party  of  thirty 
men  to  the  Melheur  river,  where  rumor  had  located 
the  fabulous  Blue  Bucket  Diggings.  This  wild  goose 
chase  being  over,  he  engaged  as  wagon-master  for 
the  government  during  the  Bannock  war,  and  soon 
became  a  scout  for  General  Crook,  finding  in  a  few 
days  the  hiding  place  of  the  Indians,  Sugar  Loaf 
Crater  Hole,  which  the  troops  had  in  vain  sought  all 
summer.  The  war  being  ended  by  the  battle  that 
took  place  there,  he  went  to  Silver  City,  Idaho, 
thence  by  stage  to  Winnemucca  and  by  rail  to  Sac- 
ramento. He  spent  the  winter  in  Amador  county, 
the  summer  at  Humboldt  bay,  the  next  winter  in 
Amador,  and  then  lived  in  Truckee  till  the  fall  of 
1871.  Being  now  well  advanced  in  years,  and 
having  lost  all  the  money  his  good  fortune  and  hard 
labor  had  brought  him,  he  was  compelled  to  take 
again  to  the  mountains  to  secure  a  livelihood.  He 
went  to  Red  Bluff,  bought  animals  and  traps,  and 
has  ever  since  been  trapping  the  waters  of  the  Sac- 
ramento, Pit,  McLeod,  Scott,  Trinity  and  other  rivers 
of  northern  California.  In  all  his  wanderings  since 
the  death  of  his  wife  he  has  been  accompanied  by 
his  son  George,  who  is  now  twenty  years  of  age, 
and  his  father's  right-hand  man.  He  makes  the 
house  of  Josiah  Doll,  in  Scott  valley,  his  headquar- 
ters, and  from  there  ranges  through  the  mountains 
with  his  son,  or  as  guide  to  hunting  parties.     His 


24 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


arm  is  not  as.  steady,  but  his  eye  is  as  bright  as  it 
was  when  he  sighted  his  rifle  at  the  grizzlies  or 
Blackfeet,  and  his  spirits  and  vigor  are  so  well  pre- 
served that  many  years  of  life  seem  still  assured  to 
him.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  a  complete  record  of  his 
adventures  and  services  will  be  gathered  from  his 
lips  and  penned  for  the  benefit  of  posterity,  before 
his  feet- go  down  into  the  waters  of  the  silent  river. 


CHAPTER   V. 


THE   DISCOVERY    OF  GOLD. 
History  fails  to  inform  us  of  a  time  when  gold 
was  unknown.     The  researches  of  the  acbaeoloe'ist 

O 

convince  us  that,  in  the  dim  twilight  of  civilization, 
jewels  and  the  precious  metals  were  unknown  or 
unappreciated,  but  the  earliest  authentic  records 
that  now  exist  of  the  most  ancient  civilized  nations 
speak  of  gold  being  used,  both  as  a  commercial 
medium  and  an  ornament.  The  great  Pharaohs  of 
Egypt  procured  it  in  the  Zabarah  mountains  in 
great  quantities,  and  of  this  gold  were  made  the 
golden  ornaments  of  which  the  children  of  Israel 
spoiled  the  Egyptians  when  they  fled  from  the  land, 
as  well  as  the  golden  calf  that  Aaron  set  up  for  the 
discontented  people  to  worship  at  the  base  of  the 
holy  mountain  of  Sinai.  In  the  reign  of  Solomon, 
one  of  the  most  splendid  and  magnificent  the  world 
has  ever  known,  gold  abounded  in  great  profusion, 
and  was  wrought  into  ornaments  and  vessels  for  the 
temple  with  astonishing  prodigality.  This  was  the 
celebrated  gold  of  Ophir,  brought  by  the  Phoenicians 
and  Jews  from  that  unknown  land  of  Ophir,  whose 
location  is  a  puzzle  to  historians.  From  the  coast 
of  Asia  Minor  a  voyage  thither  and  return  con- 
sumed three  years,  and  it  is  supposed  to  have  been 
on  the  south-east  coast  of  Africa  or  in  the  East 
Indies.  In  the  Ural  mountains,  that  still  yield  their 
precious  treasure,  gold  was  being  mined  in  the  time 
of  Herodotus,  and  ancient  Ethiopia  and  Nubia 
added  their  contributions  to  the  precious  store.  The 
Romans  procured  it  in  the  Pyrenees  and  in  the  prov- 
inces of  Italy  bordering  on  the  Alps,  while  the  Athe- 
nians obtained  it  in  Thessaly  and  the  island  of 
Thasos.  The  ancient  Spaniards  washed  the  golden 
burden  of  the  river  Tagus,  while  the  nations  of 
Eastern  Asia  found  it  in  abundance  in  their  own 
country. 

At  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  America  and  the 
opening  to  Europe  of  the  vast  store  of  treasure 
accumulated  by  the  Aztecs  and  Incas,  as  well  as  the 
inexhaustible  mines,  the  estimated  supply  in  Europe 
was  but  $170,000,000.  Its  production  had,  to  a 
great  degree,  ceased,  so  that  only  enough  was  annu- 
ally added  to  replace  the  loss  by  wear  and  usage. 
For  years  the  alchemists  had  been  endeavoring  to 


transmute  the  baser  metals  into  gold,  many  of  them 
claiming  to  have  succeeded,  being  persecuted  by  the 
ignorant,  credulous  and  bigoted  populace  for  witch- 
craft and  being  in  league  with  the  devil ;  and  long 
after  the  great  store-house  of  America  was  thrown 
open  did  these  deluded  and  deluding  scientists  pursue 
the  ignis  fatuus  of  gold.  Humboldt  estimated  the 
quantity  of  gold  sent  from  America  from  the  time  Co- 
lumbus planted  the  cross  on  San  Domingo  until  Cor  tez 
concpuered  Mexico,  in  1521,  at  $270,000  annually, 
but  from  that  time  the  golden  stream  that  flowed  into 
Spain  made  that  nation  the  richest  in  Europe.  An 
idea  of  the  vast  quantity  possessed  by  the  natives, 
and  used  chiefly  for  ornaments,  can  be  had  from 
the  statement  that  the  celebrated  Pizarro  received 
for  the  ransom  of  the  captured  Inca,  in  Peru,  a  room 
full  of  gold,  that  is  estimated  to  have  been  of  the 
value  of  $15,480,710.  The  discovery  of  the  great 
silver  mines  of  Potosi,  in  1545,  added  to  the  vast 
mineral  wealth  that  poured  into  Spain  from  Mexico, 
Peru  and  the  East  Indies. 

Although  gold  is  found  in  small  quantities  in 
nearly  every  county,  the  three  great  centers  of 
production  are  California,  Australia  and  Russian 
Siberia.  Gold  is  found  in  considerable  quantities  in 
Italy,  Austria,  Hungaiy,  Ural  mountains,  Siberia, 
China,  Japan,  India,  and  the  Indian  Archipelago, 
Borneo,  and  the  other  lai'ge  islands  of  that  group, 
Australia,  New  Zealand,  and  Africa,  and  in  small 
quantities  in  Scotland,  Ireland,  England,  Wales, 
France,  Spain,  Switzerland,  Germany,  Russia  in 
Europe,  and,  in  fact,  in  nearly  every  land  in  the  Old 
World.  In  the  western  hemisphere  it  is  found  and 
mined  in  Brazil  and  from  Chili,  following  up  the 
Andes,  Cordilleras,  Rocky,  Sierra,  and  connecting 
chains  of  mountains,  clear  into  British  Columbia, 
and  now,  by  recent  discoveries,  even  in  Alaska. 
Canada  and  Nova  Scotia  add  their  quota,  while  the 
Appalachian  gold  fields,  running  through  Virginia, 
North  and  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Alabama  and 
Tennessee,  have  yielded  a  golden  treasure  since  the 
first  discovery  was  made,  in  1799,  in  Cabarrus 
county,  North    Carolina. 

Until  the  discovery  in  California,  followed  by 
Australia  three  years  later,  Russia  was  the  greatest 
producer  in  the  world.  The  home  of  big  nuggets 
seems  to  be  in  Australia,  where  were  found  the 
great  Ballarat  nugget  of  2217  oz.,  16  dwts.,  valued 
$50,000  and  exhibited  at  the  great  Paris  Expo- 
sition, and  the  still  larger  one,  called  the  Sarah 
Sands,  weighing  233  lbs.,  4  oz.,  troy.  The  first  dis- 
covery of  the  metal  in  Australia  wras  made  in  1839, 
but  the  government  officials  fearing  the  effect  upon 
the  45,000  convicts  there,  caused  it  to  be  kept  a 
secret.  Several  times  was  the  fact  that  gold  lay 
hidden  in  the  soil  ascertained  and  the  knowledge 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


25 


suppressed,  but  at  last,  in  1851,  E.  H.  Hargreaves 
returned  there  from  the  mines  of  California,  pros- 
pected on  the  river  Macquarie,  in  New  South 
Wales,  and  made  the  discovery  that  brought  thou- 
sands thither  and  to  the  still  richer  mines  of  Vic- 
toria, and  added  millions  to  the  world's  store  of 
precious  metals. 

The  estimated  production  of  gold  in  the  United 
States  from  1848  to  1873  is  $1,240,750,000,  of 
which  California  gave  $985,800,000. 

Blake  gives  the  following  table  of  the  gold  yield 
of  the  world  for  the  year  1867: — 

California $25,000,000 

Nevada 6,000,000 

Oregon  and  Washington  Territory     3,000,000 

Idaho 5,000,000 

Montana 12,000,000 

Arizona 500,000 

New  Mexico 300,000 

Colorado 2,000,000 

Utah  and  Appalachians 2,700,000 

Total  for  the  United  States.  .$56,500,000 

British  Columbia $  2,000,000 

Canada  and  Nova  Scotia 560,000 

Mexico 1,000,000 

Brazil 1,000,000 

Chili 500,000 

Bolivia 300,000 

Peru 500,000 

Venezuela,  Columbia,  Central  ~j 

America,    Cuba  and    Santo  V  3,000,000 

Domingo  J 

Australia 31,550,000 

New  Zealand 6,000,000 

Russia 15,000,000 

Austria 1,175,000 

Spain 8,000 

Italy 95,000 

France 80,000 

Great  Britain 12,000 

Africa 900,000 

Borneo  and  East  Indies 5,000,000 

China,  Japan,  Central  Asia,  Rou-  ~j 

mania  and  other  unenumer-  >  5,000,000 

ated  sources  J 

Total $130,180,000 

One  of  the  chief  allurements   possessed   by   the 

unknown  country  to  the  north-west  of  Mexico,  to 

Cortez  and  other  explorers,  was  its  supposed  richness 

in  gold,  silver,  and  precious  stones.     In  his  letter  to 

Charles  V.  of  Spain,  in  1524,  Cortez  speaks  of  this 

unknown    land    "abounding    in    pearls    and    gold." 

Still  later    the    not    over    veracious  chaplain,    Mr. 

Fletcher,  who  chronicled  the  events  of  Sir  Francis 

Drake's  voyage  along  the  coast  in  1579,  in  speaking 

of  the  country  just  north  of  the   bay  of  San  Fran- 
4 


cisco,  says,  "There  is  no  part  of  earth  here  to  be  taken 
up,  wherein  there  is  not  a  reasonable  quantity  of 
gold  or  silver."  As  at  the  same  time,  in  the  month 
of  June,  he  speaks  of  snow  and  weather  so  cold  that 
meat  froze  when  taken  from  the  fire,  one  at  all 
acquainted  with  the  nature  of  the  climate  there  and 
knowing  that  snow  seldom  falls  in  winter  and  that 
the  thermometer,  even  in  the  most  severe  seasons, 
sees  the  freezing  point  but  occasionally,  needs  not  be 
assured  that  the  worthy  chaplain  was  addicted  to 
drawing  largely  upon  his  imagination  in  chronicling 
events.  No  gold  has  ever  been  discovered  there,  and 
the  probable  possession  of  it  by  the  natives,  may 
have  been  the  foundation  for  his  assertion.  The 
opinion  that  the  precious  metals  existed  in  California 
seems  never  to  have  entirely  died  out,  although  it 
lost  its  potent  influence  in  stimulating  exploration 
and  conquest. 

J.  Ross  Browne,  in  his  report  to  Congress,  says: — 

The  existence  of  gold  in  California  was  known  long  before  the 
acquisition  of  that  territory  by  the  United  States.  Placers  had 
long  been  worked  on  a  limited  scale  by  the  Indians;  but  the  priests 
who  had  established  the  missionary  settlements,  knowing  that  a 
dissemination  of  the  discoveries  thus  made  would  frustrate  their 
plans  for  the  conversion  of  the  aboriginal  races,  discouraged  by 
all  means  in  their  power  the  prosecution  of  this  pursuit,  and  in 
some  instances  suppressed  it  by  force.  As  early  as  December, 
1843,  however,  Manuel  Castanares,  a  Mexican  officer,  made 
strenuous  efforts  to  arouse  the  attention  of  the  Mexican  Govern- 
ment to  the  importance  of  this  great  interest. 

The  first  actually  known  of  the  metals  was  the 
reported  discovery,  as  early  as  1802,  of  silver  at 
Alizal,  in  Monterey  county.  In  1825,  Jedediah  S. 
Smith,  at  the  head  of  a  party  of  American  trappers, 
while  crossing  the  Sierra  Nevada  in  the  vicinity  of 
Mono  lake,  "  found  placer  gold  in  quantities  and 
brought  much  of  it  with  him  to  the  encampment  on 
Green  river."  This  passage  occurs  in  a  letter  writ- 
ten in  1860  by  Thomas  Sprague,  of  Genoa,  Nevada, 
to  Edmund  Randolph,  of  San  Francisco.  This  is 
the  first  known  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  and 
much  of  the  honor  that  is  showered  upon  James  W. 
Marshall  should  properly  fall  upon  this  intrepid  and 
enterprising  pioneer  trapper,  Jedediah  S.  Smith. 

In  1828,  at  San  Isador,  in  San  Diego  county,  and 
in  1833,  in  the  western  limits  of  Santa  Clara 
county,  gold  was  also  discovered.  Gold  placers  were 
discovered  in  1841  by  a  Canadian,  near  the  mission 
of  San  Fernando,  forty-five  miles  north-east  of  Los 
Angeles,  and  were  worked  until  1848  in  a  small 
way,  yielding  some  six  thousand  dollars  annually. 
In  1842,  James  D.  Dana,  the  well-known  geologist, 
visited  the  coast  with  the  Wilkes  Exploring  Expe- 
dition, and  wrote  later  as  follows: — 

"The  gold  rocks  and  veins  of  quartz  were  observed  by  the 
author  in  1842,  near  the  Umpqua  river,  in  southern  Oregon,  and 
pebbles  from  similar  rooks  were  met  with  along  the  shores  of  the 
Sacramento,  in  California,  and  the  resemblance  to  other  gold  dis- 


26 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


tricts  was  remarked;  but  there  was  no  opportunity  of  exploring 
the  country  at  the  time." 

The  next  year,  Dr.  Sandels,  an  educated  Swed- 
ish gentleman  of  much  experience  in  the  mines  of 
South  America,  visited  Sutter's  Fort,  and  was  per- 
suaded by  Captain  Sutter  to  make  an  examination 
of  the  country  to  see  if  gold  did  not  exist  there. 
The  Doctor  had  but  a  little  time  to  spare,  but  he 
made  an  excursion  up  the  Sacramento  river  as  far 
as  the  site  of  Chico,  and  gave  the  opinion,  that, 
"judging  from  the  Butte  mountains,  I  believe  that 
there  is  gold  in  the  country,  but  do  not  think  there 
will  ever  be  enough  found  to  pay  for  the  working  " 

Gen.  John  Bidwell  narrowly  escaped  reaping  the 
honors  of  a  gold  discoverer,  in  1844.  At  that  time 
he  was  in  charge  of  Sutter's  establishment  at  Hock 
Farm,  and  under  him  was  a  Mexican  vaquero 
named  Pablo  Gutteirez,  who  was  familiar  with 
placer  mining  in  his  own  country.  He  one  day 
informed  Bidwell  that  in  the  foot-hills  on  Bear 
river  he  had  found  black. sand  and  other  signs  of 
gold,  which  he  pointed  out  to  him  when  the  two 
visited  the  locality  to  investigate.  He  said  that  to 
work  it  a  peculiar  implement  called  a  batea  was 
required,  and  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  go  to 
Mexico  for  this.  His  means  being  limited,  Bidwell 
was  unable  to  do  this,  and  requested  the  vaquero  to 
keep  the  matter  a  secret  until  they  could  procure 
the  indispensable  implement.  In  the  spring  of  1845 
the  Mexican  was  killed,  and  Bidwell  abandoned  his 
golden  dreams.  Had  he  known  that  the  wonderful 
batea  was  simply  a  wooden  bowl,  and  that  any  tin 
dish  or  most  any  kind  of  receptacle  would  have 
answered  the  same  purpose,  the  name  of  John  Bid- 
well  would  have  gone  down  to  history  instead  of 
James  W.  Marshall. 

The  man  who  made  the  final  discovery  of  the 
precious  metal  in  the  mill-race  at  Coloma,  January 
19,  1848,  the  news  of  which  brought  thousands 
from  all  the  points  of  the  compass,  was  a  Mormon 
named  James  W.  Marshall.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  California  Battalion,  and  when  the  war  ceased, 
in  1847,  he  returned  to  Sutter's  Fort,  at  which  place 
he  had  enlisted.  He  soon  after  made  an  excursion  up 
the  Ameiican  river  and  was  so  pleased  with  the  water- 
power  at  a  place  on  the  south  fork,  called  by  the 
Indians  "  Culloomah,"  known  now  as  Coloma,  that 
he  desired  to  build  a  saw-mill  there.  Having  entered 
into  partnership  with  Captain  Sutter,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  erecting  the  mill,  he  started  for  the  field  of 
action  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  August,  1847,  with 
workmen,  tools,  etc.  By  January  the  building  and 
tail-race,  for  carrying  off  the  water  after  being  used, 
were  completed.  The  method  of  making  the  race 
was  what  led  to  the  discovery.  A  ditch  was  cut  to 
direct  the  course  of  the  current,  and  at  night  the 


head-gates  were  raised  and  the  stream  allowed  to 
rush  through  the  ditch,  carrying  with  it  mud  and 
sand  and  leaving  the  stones,  which  were  thrown  out 
the  next  day  by  Indians.  In  this  way  the  race  was 
gradually  enlarged. 

The  following  extract  from  "  The  Life  and  Adven- 
tures of  James  W.  Marshall "  contains  the  best  and 
most  authentic  account  of  the  circumstances  attend- 
ing the  discovery.  It  was  published  by  Marshall  in 
1870,  who  was  then,  and  is  now,  in  straightened  cir- 
cumstances, living  not  far  from  the  scene  of  his  dis- 
covery, and  written  by  George  F.  Parsons  : — 

We  now  approach  the  most  important  event,  not  only  in  the 
life  of  Marshall,  but  in  the  history  of  California,  and  as  many 
erroneous  statements  have  been  made  and  published,  from  time 
to  time,  concerning  the  manner  of  the  first  discovery,  and  as 
attempts  have  been  made  to  foist  a  spurious  discovery  upon  the 
public,  we  deem  it  proper  to  enter  into  details  with  such  minute- 
ness as  the  historical  value  of  the  events  appears  to  demand  and 
to  warrant. 

The  names  of  the  men  who  were  then  working  at  the  mill,  and 
who,  if  living,  can  substantiate  the  accuracy  of  this  narrative, 
are  as  follows :  Peter  L.  Werner,  William  Scott,  James  Bargee, 
Alexander  Stephens,  James  Brown,  William  Johnson,  and  Henry 
Bigler  (the  latter  afterwards  moved  to  Salt  Lake,  together  with 
Brown,  Stephens  and  Bargee,  and  became  an  elder  in  the  Mormon 
church).         *         *         * 

On  the  morning  of  that  memorable  day  Marshall  went  out,  as 
usual,  to  superintend  the  men,  and  after  closing  the  fore-bay 
gate,  and  thus  shutting  off  the  water,  walked  down  the  tail-race 
to  see  what  sand  and  gravel  had  been  removed  during  the  night. 
This  had  been  customary  with  him  for  some  time,  for  he  had 
previously  entertained  the  idea  that  there  might  be  minerals  in 
the  mountains,  and  had  expressed  it  to  Sutter,  who,  however, 
only  laughed  at  him. 

On  this  occasion,  having  strolled  to  the  lower  end  of  the  race, 
he  stood  for  a  moment  examining  the  mass  of  debris  that  had 
been  washed  down,  and,  at  Ihis  juncture,  his  eye  caught  the 
glitter  of  something  that  lay  lodged  in  a  creviee  or  ariffle of  soft 
granite,  some  six  inches  under  water.  His  first  act  was  to  stoop 
and  pick  up  the  substance.  It  was  heavy,  of  a  peculiar  color, 
and  unlike  anything  he  had  seen  in  the  stream  before.  For  a 
few  minutes  he  stood  with  it  in  his  hand,  reflecting  and  endeav- 
oring to  recall  all  he  had  heard  or  read  concerning  the  various 
minerals.  After  a  close  examination,  he  became  satisfied  that 
what  he  held  in  his  hand  must  be  one  of  three  substances — mica, 
sulphuret  of  copper,  or  gold.  The  weight  assured  him  that  it 
was  not  mica.  Could  it  be  sulphuret  of  copper  ?  He  remembered 
that  that  mineral  is  brittle,  and  that  gold  is  malleable,  and,  as 
this  thought  passed  through  his  mind,  he  turned  about,  placed 
the  specimen  upon  a  flat  stone,  and  proceeded  to  test  it  by  strik- 
ing it  with  another.  The  substance  did  not  crack  or  flake  off,  it 
simply  bent  under  the  blows.  This,  then,  was  gold,  and,  in  this 
manner,  was  the  first  gold  found  in  California.     *     *     * 

The  discoverer  proceeded  with  his  work  as  usual,  after  show- 
ing the  nugget  to  his  men  and  indulging  in  a  few  conjectures 
concerning  the  probable  extent  of  the  gold  fields.  As  a  matter 
of  course,  he  watched  closely,  from  time  to  time,  for  further 
developments,  and,  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  had  collected 
several  ounces  of  the  precious  metal. 

Although,  however,  he  was  satisfied  in  his  own  mind  that 
it  was  gold,  there  were  some  who  were  skeptical,  and  as  he  had 
no  means  of  testing  it  chemically,  he  determined  to  take  some 
down  to  his  partner  at  the  fort,  and  have  the  question  finally 
decided.  Some  four  clays  after  the  discovery  it  became  necessary 
for  him  to  go  below,  for  Sutter  had  failed  to  send  a  supply  of 
provisions  to  the  mill,    and  the  men  were  on  short  commons. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


27 


So,  mounting  his  horse,  and  taking  some  three  ounces  of  gold- 
dust  with  him,  he  started.  Having  always  an  eye  to  business, 
he  availed  himself  of  this  opportunity  to  examine  the  river  for  a 
site  for  a  lumber  yard,  whence  the  timbers  cut  at  the  mill  could 
be  floated  down;  and  while  exploring  for  this  purpose  he  dis- 
covered gold  in  a  ravine  in  the  foot-hills,  and  also  at  the  place 
afterwards  known  as  Mormon  Island.  That  night  he  slept 
under  an  oak  tree,  some  eight  or  ten  miles  east  of  the  fort, 
where  he  arrived  about  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning.  Dis- 
mounting from  his  horse,  he  entered  Sutter's  private  office,  and 
proceeded  to  inquire  into  the  cause  of  the  delay  in  sending  up 
the  provisions.  This  matter  having  been  explained,  and  the 
teams  being  in  a  fair  way  to  load,  he  asked  for  a  few  minutes 
private  conversation  with  Colonel  Sutter,  and  the  two  entered  a 
little  room  back  of  the  store,  reserved  as  a  private  office.  Then 
Marshall  showed  him  the  gold.  He  looked  at  it  in  astonish- 
ment, and,  still  doubting,  asked  what  it  was.  His  visitor 
replied  that  it  was  gold.  "Impassible !"  was  the  incredulous 
ejaculation  of  Sutter.  Upon  this  Marshall  asked  for  some  nitric 
acid  to  test  it,  and  a  vaquero  having  been  dispatched  to  the  gun- 
smith's for  that  purpose,  Sutter  inquired  whether  there  was  no 
other  way  in  which  it  could  be  tested.  He  was  told  that  its 
character  might  be  ascertained  by  weighing  it,  and  accordingly 
some  silver  coin  ($3.25  was  all  that  the  fort  could  furnish)  and 
a  pair  of  small  scales  or  balances  having  been  obtained,  Marshall 
proceeded  to  weigh  the  dust,  first  in  the  air  and  then  in  two 
bowls  of  water.  The  experiment  resulted  as  he  had  foreseen.  The 
dust  went  down,  the  coin  rose  lightly  up.  Sutter  gazed  and  his 
doubts  faded,  and  a  subsequent  test  with  the  acid,  which,  by 
this  time,  had  arrived,  settled  the  question  finally.  Then  the 
excitement  began  to  spread.  Sutter  knew  well  the  value  of  the 
discovery,  and  in  a  short  time,  having  made  hurried  arrange- 
ments at  the  fort,  he  returned  with  Marshall  to  Coloma,  to  see 
for  himself  the  wonder  that  had  been  reported  to  him. 

On  the  same  subject  the  following  extract  from 
a  diary  kept  at  the  time  by  John  A.  Sutter  will  be 
found  highly  interesting.  It  is  given  just  as 
written  by  that  gentleman  : — 

January  2S,  1S4S,  Marshall  arrived  in  the  evening.  It  was 
raining  very  heavy,  but  he  told  me  that  he  came  on  important 
business.  After  we  was  alone  in  a  private  room,  he  showed  me 
the  first  specimens  of  gold — that  is,  he  was  not  certain  if  it  was 
gold  or  not,  but  he  thought  it  might  be;  immediately  I  made  the 
proof  and  found  that  it  was  gold.  I  told  him  even  that  most  of 
all  is  23-carat  gold;  he  wished  that  I  should  come  up  with  him 
immediately,  but  I  told  him  that  I  have  first  to  give  my  orders 
to  the  people  in  all  my  factories  and  shops. 

February  1st — Left  for  the  saw-mill  attended  by  a  vaquero 
(Olimpio);  was  absent  second,  third,  fourth,  and  fifth.  I 
examined  myself  everything  and  picked  up  a  few  specimens  of 
gold  myself  in  the  tail-race  of  the  saw-mill,  this  gold  and  others 
which  Marshall  and  some  of  the  other  laborers  gave  to  me  (it 
was  found  while  in  my  employ  and  wages.)  I  told  them  that  I 
would  a  ring  got  made  of  it  so  soon  as  a  goldsmith  would  be 
here.  I  had  a  talk  with  my  employed  people  all  at  the  saw-mill. 
I  told  them  that  as  they  do  know  now  that  this  metal  is  gold,  I 
wished  that  they  would  do  me  the  great  favor  and  keep  it  secret 
only  six  weeks,  because  my  large  Flour  Mdl  at  Brighton  would 
have  been  in  operation  in  such  a  time,  which  undertaking  would 
have  been  a  fortune  to  me,  and  unfortunately  the  people  would 
not  keep  it  secret,  and  so  I  lost  on  this  mill,  at  the  lowest  calcu- 
lation about  §25,000. 

In  speaking  of  the  finding  of  the  first  piece  of 
gold  and  the  tests  Marshall  submitted  it  to,  Tuthill's 
History  says: — 

Peter  L.  Werner  claims  that  he  was  with  Marshall  when  the 
first  piece  of  the  "yellow  stuff"  was  picked  up.  It  was  a  pebble 
weighing  six  pennyweights  and  eleven  grains.     Marshall  gave  it 


to  Mrs.  Werner,  and  asked  her  to  boil  it  in  saleratus  water 
and  see  what  came  of  it.  As  she  was  making  soap  at  the  time, 
she  pitched  it  into  the  soap-kettle.  About  twenty-four  hours 
afterwards  it  was  fished  out  and  found  all  the  brighter  for  its 
boiling. 

It  did  not  take  long  for  the  news  to  spread 
throughout  the  coast.  In  February,  General  John 
Bidwell  went  to  San  Francisco  with  some  speci- 
mens, which  were  pronounced  genuine  gold  by  Isaac 
Humphrey,  an  old  Georgia  miner.  This  man's 
experience  taught  him  that  such  coarse  gold  was 
only  found  in  rich  placers,  and  in  vain  he  sought  to 
induce  some  one  to  go  with  him  on  a  prospecting 
trip  to  Coloma;  they  all  thought  it  a  brainless  folly. 
On  the  seventh  of  March  he  arrived  at  the  mill,  and 
after  prospecting  a  day,  made  a  rocker  and  com- 
menced the  first  of  that  gold  mining  that  was  the 
life  of  California  for  many  years.  In  a  few  days 
Baptiste  Rouelle,  who  had  discovered  gold  near  Los 
Angeles  in  1841,  joined  Humphrey  and  went  to 
work.  One  and  two  at  a  time  the  people  slowly 
arrived  to  see  for  themselves  and  to  go  to  work,  and 
on  the  twenty-fifth  of  March  the  California  Star 
announced  that  gold-dust  was  an  article  of  traffic  at 
New  Helvetia  (Sacramento). 

The  discovery  at  Coloma  was  soon  followed  by  the 
finding  of  gold  on  many  other  streams.  The  circum- 
stances surrounding  the  first  gold  mining  on  the 
Calaveras,  Stanislaus,  Mokelumne  and  Yuba  rivers, 
which,  with  the  American,  form  the  principal 
streams  on  which  the  early  mining  was  done,  are  of 
peculiar  interest.  Specimens  of  scale  gold  were  car- 
ried to  Tuleburgh  (Stockton)  in  the  latter  part  of 
March,  and  exhibited  to  Charles  M.  Weber.  He  did 
not  rush  to  Coloma  as  many  did,  with  the  idea  that 
it  was  there  only  that  gold  could  be  found,  but  fitted 
out  a  party  for  prospecting  the  neighboring  streams. 
Haste  and  inexperience  prevented  success  for  some 
time,  but  they  finally  found  the  metal  on  the  Mokel- 
umne river,  and  then  on  every  stream  from  there  to 
the  American  river,  where  a  location  was  made  on 
Weber  creek  and  the  first  work  commenced.  As 
soon  as  the  Indians  accompanying  the  party  became 
skillful  in  mining,  Weber  sent  them  to  their  home  on 
the  Stanislaus  with  instructions  to  prospect  that  and 
adjacent  streams.  Word  was  soon  brought  him 
that  gold  had  been  found  in  large  quantities  on  the 
Stanislaus,  Calaveras  and  the  streams  that  lie 
between  them.  Weber  then  formed  the  Stockton 
Mining  Company,  and  with  the  aid  of  man}7  Indians 
carried  on  an  extensive  mining  enterprise  on  those 
streams  for  some  time.  This  was  the  first  working 
of  the  southern  mines,  that  afterwards  yielded  their 
millions  and  resounded  to  the  busy  clatter  of  thou- 
sands of  rockers. 

The  discoverer  of  gold  on  the  celebrated  Yuba 
river  was  Jonas  Spect,  who,  on  the  twentj' -fourth  of 


28 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


April,  1848,  encamped  at  Knight's  Landing,  on  the 
Sacramento  river,  on  his  way  from  San  Francisco  to 
Johnson's  ranch  to  join  a  party  being  made  up  for 
an  overland  journey  to  the  States.  He  relates  his 
discovery  as  follows : — 

Up  to  this  time  there  had  been  no  excitement  about  the  gold 
diggings;  but  at  that  place  we  were  overtaken  by  Spaniards, 
who  were  on  their  way  to  Sutter's  mill  to  dig  gold,  and  they 
reported  stories  of  fabulously  rich  diggings.  After  discussing 
the  matter  we  changed  our  course  to  the  gold  mines,  and  hurried 
on,  arriving  at  the  mill  on  the  thirtieth  of  April.  It  was  true 
that  several  rich  strikes  had  been  made,  but  the  miners  then  at 
work  did  not  average  two  and  one-half  dollars  per  day.  Mar- 
shall and  Sutter  claimed  the  land  and  rented  the  mines.  Every- 
one supposed  gold  was  confined  to  that  particular  locality.  We 
did  not  engage  in  mining,  and  concluded  to  resume  our  journey 
across  the  plains.  On  our  return  trip,  we  learned  that  gold  had 
been  found  on  Mormon  island;  but  we  took  no  further  notice  of 
it,  and  on  the  twelfth  of  May  arrived  at  Johnson's  ranch.  We 
found  one  man  there  awaiting  our  arrival,  but  we  expected  many 
others  in  a  short  time.  We  waited  until  about  the  twenty-fifth, 
when  we  learned  that  there  was  another  rush  to  the  mines,  and 
then  vanished  all  prospect  of  any  company  crossing  the  mount- 
ains that  summer.  My  partner  left  for  the  American  river,  and 
I  proposed  to  Johnson  that  we  should  prospect  for  gold  on  Bear 
river.  We  went  some  distance  up  the  stream  and  spent  three 
days  in  search  without  any  satisfactory  results.  I  then  sug- 
gested to  Johnson  that  he  should  send  his  Indian  with  me,  and 
I  would  prospect  the  Yuba  river,  as  that  stream  was  about  the 
size  of  the  south  fork  of  the  American  river.  We  prepared  the 
outfit,  and  on  the  first  of  June  we  struck  the  river,  near  Long 
Bar.  After  a  good  deal  of  prospecting  I  succeeded  in  raising 
"color."  That  night  I  camped  in  Timbuctoo  ravine,  a  little 
above  where  we  first  found  gold.  The  next  day,  June  second, 
I  continued  prospecting  up  the  stream,  finding  a  little  gold,  but 
not  enough  to  pay.  The  Indian  was  well  acquainted,  and  he 
piloted  me  up  to  the  location  of  Rose  Bar,  where  we  met  a  large 
number  of  Indians,  all  entirely  nude  and  eating  clover.  I  pros- 
pected on  the  bar  and  found  some  gold,  but  not  sufficient  to  be 
remunerative.  Greatly  discouraged,  I  started  on  my  return 
home.  When  I  arrived  at  a  point  on  the  Yuba  river,  a  little 
above  Timbuctoo  ravine,  I  washed  some  of  the  dirt  and  found 
three  lumps  of  gold,  worth  about  seven  dollars.  I  pitched  my 
tent  here  on  the  night  of  June  second,  and  sent  the  Indian  home 
for  supplies.  In  about  a  week  I  moved  down  on  the  creek  and 
remained  there  until  November  twentieth,  when  I  left  the  mines 
forever.  June  third,  the  next  day  after  the  location  of  my  camp, 
Michael  Nye  and  William  Poster  came  up  the  creek  prospect- 
ing for  gold. 

General  John  Bidwell  paid  the  mines  at  Coloma 
a  visit,  and  then  returned  to  his  ranch  near  the  site 
of  Chico,  and  soon  discovered  gold  and  inaugurated 
mining  on  the,  Feather  river.  Major  P.  B.  Reading, 
whose  place  on  the  upper  Sacramento  was  a  well- 
known  landmark  in  the  early  days,  followed  Bid- 
well's  example,  and  in  the  summer  of  1848  pros- 
pected the  Trinity  river  and  began  the  first  mining 
of  that  system  of  water-courses  that  carry  the  snows 
of  the  northern  mountains  through  the  turbulent 
Klamath  to  the  sea. 

Such  was  the  manner  in  which  gold  was  dis- 
covered in  those  marvelously  rich  streams,  and  in 
that  first  year  nearly  every  man  in  California  paid 
a  visit  to  some  of  the  mines.  Crops  were  permitted 
to  rot  in  the  fields,  buildings  were  left  incompleted 


and  all  the  avenues  of  industry  were  deserted,  men 
even  refusing  to  work  for  fifteen  dollars  a  day,  so 
great  was  their  eagerness  to  get  to  the  mines.  From 
Oregon  and  along  the  coast  a  great  many  arrived 
that  fall  to  seek  the  yellow  treasure,  and  hundreds 
worked  in  the  mines,  became  rich  or  disgusted, 
and  abandoned  them  forever,  before  the  advance 
guard  of  that  army  of  Argonauts  of  1849  began  to 
make  its  appearance.  Such  an  one  was  David  Parks, 
who  worked  on  the  celebrated  Park's  Bar,  on  Yuba 
river,  returned  East  and  arrived  in  New  Orleans 
early  in  the  spring  of  1849,  to  meet  the  first  tide  of 
emigration,  and  to  enthuse  them  with  the  sight  of 
eighty-five  thousand  dollars  in  gold-dust  that  he 
had  brought  back  with  him.  When  these,  the 
'  49ers,  began  to  arrive  they  went  to  the  streams  on 
which  gold  had  been  found  and  went  to  work. 
Soon  they  were  in  such  numbers  that  claims  were 
not  plentiful  enough  on  the  bars  then  being  worked. 
Farther  up  the  streams  they  pressed,  finding  new 
and  rich  diggings  on  every  bar,  ravine,  gulch  and 
creek,  until  in  a  year  there  was  scarcely  a  stream  in 
the  heart  of  the  mountains  that  had  not  its  quota 
of  industrious  miners.  The  Feather  and  Sacra- 
mento rivers  were  explored  to  their  sources,  and  up 
the  latter  stream,  among  hostile  Indians,  the  hardy 
prospector  made  his  way  and  found  for  the  thou- 
sands of  others  soon  to  follow,  the  rich  diggings  on 
the  upper  Sacramento,  Trinity,  Salmon,  Klamath 
and  Scott  rivers,  that  soon  filled  the  extreme  north- 
ern portion  of  the  State  with  a  busy  horde  of  miners, 
and  spread  the  dominion  of  civilization  to  the 
utmost  bounds  of  the  State. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  OF  SISKIYOU   COUNTY- 

Extending  from  the  ridge  that  lies  between  the 
Salmon  and  Trinity  rivers  on  the  west,  to  the  lava 
beds  on  the  east,  and  from  the  Sacramento  divide 
on  the  south  to  the  Siskiyou  mountain  on  the  north, 
the  county  of  Siskiyou  contains  a  total  superficial 
area  of  over  three  thousand  square  miles .  It  is  essen- 
tially a  region  of  mountains.  Great  ridges  and  spurs 
of  pine-clad  hills  reach  out  in  all  directions,  their  can- 
ons, gorges,  precipitous  bluffs  combining  with  the 
graceful  sides  of  other  green  hills  to  form  a  picture  of 
wonderful  beauty,  wherever  the  eye  may  rest.  Here  it 
is  impossible  to  withdraw  the  eye  from  beholding 
the  loveliness  of  Nature.  When  intervening  hills 
obscure  from  view  the  hoary  crown  of  Shasta  and 
the  grand  but  less  imposing  peaks  that  lift  them- 
selves into  the  sky  on  every  hand,  the  eye  rests  with 
pleasure  upon  the  obstructing  hills  themselves,  and 
sees  in  them  beauties  to  admire  and  love.  The 
deeper  we  plunge  into  the  rocky  canons  that  shut 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


29 


us  in  from  the  great  world  without,  the  more  we  come 
into  sympathy  and  union  with  Nature,  and  admire 
the  simple  grandeur  she  there  reveals  to  us.  We 
sit  in  some  cavernous  depth  or  perch  ourselves  upon 
some  commanding  peak  and  think  of  the  long  cen- 
turies that  rolled  swiftly  by,  while  the  red  men  called 
this  home  and  disturbed  not  with  profaning  hand 
the  simple  order  Nature  had  established  in  her  chosen 
dominion.  The  deer,  the  bear,  and  the  antelope 
roamed  its  valleys  and  penetrated  the  dense  forests 
that  covered  its  mountain  sides;  the  simple  natives 
lived  in  peace  and  quietude,  so  few  and  so  retired 
that  the  first  white  men  who  passed  through  scarce 
saw  them  at  all.  This  was  the  condition  till  thirty 
years  ago,  when  the  magic  wand  of  gold  was  waved 
over  the  mountain  tops,  and  a  new  race  came  to 
supplant  the  old,  to  level  forests  and  disembowel  the 
earth,  to  subdue  the  soil  and  deface  the  brow  of 
Nature  with  the  crown  of  civilization. 

Siskiyou  county  was  named  after  the  high  range 
of  mountains  that  rolls  the  waters  of  its  northern 
slope  into  the  Rogue  river,  and  those  that  fall  on  the 
south  into  the  rushing  Klamath.  On  the  summit 
of  the  mountain,  just  over  the  divide,  in  Oregon, 
there  is  a  beautiful  level  spot,  watered  by  cool 
springs,  that  overlooks  the  country  for  miles  around. 
It  was  here  that  the  powerful  Shasta,  Rogue  River 
and  Klamath  tribes  used  to  congregate,  smoke  their 
pipes,  indulge  in  dancing  and  games,  and  exchange 
those  friendly  offices  so  usual  with  neighboring 
tribes  living  at  peace  with  each  other.  This  place 
they  called  Sis-ki-you,  or  the  council  ground,  the 
name  now  borne  by  one  of  the  largest  counties  in 
California. 

Siskiyou  and  the  counties  of  the  northern  mount- 
ains have  a  system  of  water-courses  distinct  from 
their  sisters  to  the  south.  The  great  Klamath 
river  rises  in  the  lake  of  the  same  name,  and  in  its 
windings  through  the  mountains  takes  a  general 
westerly  course  until  it  pours  into  the  ocean  near 
Crescent  City  the  combined  waters  of  the  Kla- 
math, Shasta,  Scott,  Salmon  and  Trinity  rivers,  with 
their  hundreds  of  tributaries.  The  volume  of  water 
that  goes  surging  through  its  rocky  gorges  and  pre- 
cipitous cafions  in  the  winter  season  is  tremendous, 
and  the  slowly  melting  snows  on  the  mountain  peaks 
keep  the  stream  a  rushing  torrent  till  late  in  the 
summer.  The  name  Klamath  is  of  Indian  origin 
and  was  first  applied  to  the  stream  near  its  source 
by  the  early  trappers,  who  asked  the  natives  there 
what  they  called  the  stream  and  were  answered 
"Klamat"  or  "  Tlamat."  (It  is  spelled  by  Fre- 
mont "  Tlamath.")  The  tribes  that  lived  along  the 
stream  each  had  its  name  for  the  great  river 
but  the  name  adopted  by  the  whites  soon  became 
known  from  the  mouth  to  the  source,  and  was  also  " 


applied  to  the  lakes  from  which  it  springs,  though 
for  these  the  Klamath  tribe  that  inhabited  their 
borders  had  different  and  distinct  appellations.  This 
stream  as  well  as  its  first  important  tributary,  the 
Shasta,  was  known  to  the  trappers  before  the  advent 
of  the  prospector,  their  frequent  journeys  from  the 
Sacramento  valley  to  the  Willamette,  making  their 
names  and  location  familiar.  The  Shasta  rises  in  the 
hills  that  form  the  north  and  western  base  of  the 
noble  Shasta  peak,  and  flows  in  a  northerly  course 
through  the  valley  of  the  same  name  till  it  mingles 
with  the  waters  of  the  Klamath  a  few  miles  below 
the  town  of  Cottonwood.  The  name  of  both  river 
and  valley  was  received  from  the  patron  peak  that 
towers  above  them.  Knowing  such  a  river  to  exist, 
the  miners  as  they  advanced  from  the  south  and 
west  in  1850,  first  supposed  the  Salmon  river 
to  be  that  stream,  and  next  Scott  river,  not  finding 
the  true  river  till  the  middle  of  the  summer. 

The  next  stream  of  importance  is  Scott  river, 
which  takes  its  rise  in  the  giant  ridge  that  lies 
between  Scott  and  Shasta  valleys  and  the  great  Scott 
mountain  that  separates  it  from  the  head-waters 
of  Trinity.  It  runs  in  a  general  northerly  direc- 
tion through  the  valley,  plunges  into  the  mountains 
that  hedge  in  the  Klamath,  and  then  loses  itself  in 
that  stream.  The  name  was  derived  from  John 
W.  Scott,  who  mined  for  gold  on  Scott  Bar  in  July, 
1850,  and  has  been  handed  down  to  the  valley 
through  which  it  runs  and  one  of  the  mountains 
from  which  it  springs. 

Just  beyond  the  range  of  mountains  that  hem  in 
the  valley  to  the  west,  runs  the  Salmon  river,  first 
discovered  and  named  early  in  1850.  The  north 
fork  rises  in  these  dividing  mountains  and  flows 
west,  while  the  south  fork  comes  from  the  Scott  and 
Trinity  mountains  on  the  south,  the  two  uniting 
but  a  few  miles  before  their  mingled  waters  are 
poured  into  the  Klamath.  This  stream  traverses 
no  large  valley,  but  runs  through  an  unbroken 
series  of  mountains  from  the  sources  of  both  forks 
to  their  junction  with  the  Klamath.  Until  1875 
the  country  drained  by  this  stream  formed  a  por- 
tion of  Klamath  county,  but  at  that  time  it  was 
annexed  to  and  became  an  integral  part  of  Siskiyou. 

The  next  and  the  last  great  tributary  of  the 
Klamath  is  Trinity  river,  lying  wholly  in  Trinity 
and  Humboldt  counties.  It  received  its  name  from 
Major  P.  B.  Reading,  who  trapped  on  its  head- 
waters in  1845,  and  named  it  Trinity  because  he 
supposed  it  to  empty  into  Trinidad  bay,  discovered  by 
the  early  Spanish  explorers,  an  error  which  misled 
thousands  of  gold  seekers  in  1849  and  1850,  who 
sought  to  reach  its  famous  mines  by  entering  the 
bay  in  vessels  and  passing  up  the  stream  from  its 
mouth. 


30 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


Other  tributaries  of  the  Klamath  are  Butte  creek, 
Bogus  creek,  Shovel  creek,  Willow  creek,  Cotton- 
wood creek,  Humbug  and  Little  Humbug  creeks, 
Weaver  creek,  Indian  creek,  and  a  number  of  others, 
while  McAdams,  Crystal,  Moffat,  Patterson,  Indian 
and  Etna  creeks  flow  into  Scott  river,  and  Little 
Shasta,  Yreka  creek  and  Greenhorn  contribute  their 
waters  to  swell  the  Shasta  river. 

That  portion  of  the  State  embraced  in  Modoc  was, 
until  1874,  a  portion  of  Siskiyou,  and  is  tributary  to 
the  Sacramento  river,  lying  on  the  eastern  slope  of 
the  mountains  that  wall  in '  the  Klamath  and  its 
tributaries.  Two  great  branches  of  the  Sacra- 
mento, the  McLeod  and  the  Pit,  receive  the  waters 
of  this  region.  The  Pit  river  is  properly  the  Sacra- 
mento, and  heads  in  Goose  lake  on  the  Oregon  bor- 
der. It  received  its  name  from  the  custom  of  the 
natives  along  its  banks  of  digging  pits  in  which  to 
capture  bear  and  deer,  and  even  entrap  strange  war- 
riors who  might  set  hostile  foot  in  their  hunting- 
grounds.  The  pits  were  dug  in  the  regular  trails 
made  by  animals,  and  were  from  twelve  to  fourteen 
feet  deep  and  conical  in  shape,  with  a  small  opening 
at  the  top,  which  was  covered  with  brush  and  dirt 
so  carefully  as  to  completely  deceive  the  unpracticed 
eye.  All  loose  dirt  was  removed  and  a  trail  made 
over  the  pit,  near  which  signs,  such  as  broken  twigs, 
etc.,  were  placed  that  gave  warning  to  members  of 
the  tribe  of  the  location  of  the  dreadful  pitfall. 
Sharpened  stakes  were  sometimes  set  up  in  the  bot- 
tom, upon  which  any  object  falling  into  the  pit  was 
certain  to  impale  itself.  The  name  is  usually  spelled 
Pitt,  the  mistake  arising  from  ignorance  of  its  origin. 
The  McLeod,  or,  as  it  is  usually  called,  the  McCloud, 
received  its  name  from  an  old  Scotch  trapper,  who, 
in  1827  (by  some  authorities,  1S28),  led  the  first 
party  of  Hudson  Bay  Company  trappers  that  ever 
penetrated  into  California.  Having  passed  down 
from  Oregon,  along  the  sea-coast,  and  entered  the 
Sacramento  valley  from  the  west,  the  snows  of 
winter  caught  the  party  trapping  beaver  on  this 
stream.  They  narrowly  escaped  the  fate  of  the 
lamented  Donner  party,  in  1846,  and  were  compelled 
to  cache  all  their  furs  and  traps  and  make  their  way 
over  the  snow  and  mountains  to  a  more  hospitable 
clime.  The  name  of  this  trapper  was  Alexander 
Roderick  McLeod,  and  the  river  has  ever  since 
borne  his  name.  Years  later,  when  white  men  had" 
settled  in  this  region,  a  well-known  and  worthy  citi- 
zen, Ross  McCloud,  a  surveyor  by  profession,  lived 
on  this  stream,  and  the  similarity  of  pronunciation 
in  the  two  names  led  to  the  common  error  of  sup- 
posing that  his  name  was  the  one  the  river  bore, 
and  thus  it  stands  upon  the  maps.  It  is  an  error 
that  should  be  corrected,  and  the  name  of  the  first 
white  trapper  to  penetrate  this  region  should  be 


handed  down  in  history  associated  with  the  mount- 
ain stream  upon  whose  banks  he  and  his  party 
suffered  so  much.     (See  last  of  Chapter  VII.) 

In  its  general  topographical  features,  Siskiyou 
county  may  be  said  to  consist  of  two  large  valleys 
hemmed  in  on  all  sides  by  lofty  ranges  of  forest- 
covered  mountains.  On  the  south  lie  the  Trinity, 
Scott,  and  Sacramento  mountains,  on  the  east  the 
Butte  creek,  on  the  north  the  Siskiyou,  and  on  the 
west  the  Salmon  range.  Through  the  center,  from 
north  to  south,  separating  the  two  valleys  and  the 
waters  that  fertilize  them,  runs  a  range  from  the 
Klamath  river  to  the  Sacramento  divide.  A  small 
portion  of  the  county  lies  both  east  and  west  of 
these  mountain  bulwarks,  the  Salmon  river  country 
l^ing  to  the  west  and  the  Butte  creek  region  to  the 
east.  Among  these  towering  ranges  are  many 
places  of  grandeur  that  deserve  a  special  mention, 
and  one,  Mount  Shasta,  of  world-wide  fame  and 
notoriety. 

The  snowy  crown  of  Shasta  was  a  familiar  sight 
to  the  early  settlers  in  the  lower  portion  of  the  State 
long  before  the  foot  of  the  white  man  ever  pressed 
the  green  grass  at  its  base.  Standing  in  the  Sacra- 
mento valle3r,  one  can  plainly  see  its  white  top  lifted 
proudly  above  the  blue  range  that  closes  in  the  val- 
ley to  the  north.  From  Mount  Diablo  it  is  dis- 
tinctly visible,  and  from  the  dome  of  the  State 
capitol  at  Sacramento  it  meets  the  eye  of  many  a 
gazer  who  knows  not  its  name  nor  the  great  dis- 
tance it  lies  to  the  north.  The  mariner  on  the 
ocean  can  see  it,  and  the  emigrant  on  the  parched 
deserts  of  Nevada  has  often  traveled  towards  it  day 
after  day,  an  infallible  guide  to  lead  them  on  to  the 
land  of  gold.  The  Russians  who  settled  at  Bodega 
could  see  it  from  the  mountains  of  the  Coast  Range, 
and  called  it  Tchastal,  or  the  white  or  pure  mount- 
ain. This  name  the  early  Americans  adopted,  spell- 
ing and  pronouncing  it  Chasta,  time  having  made 
the  further  change  of  substituting  the  soft  sh  for 
the  hard  eh.  The  name  was  also  applied  by  the 
trappers  to  the  valley  that  lies  at  its  northern  base 
and  the  river  that  bears  its  cold,  snow  waters  to  the 
Klamath,  as  well  as  to  the  tribe  of  Indians  that 
inhabited  Scott  and  Shasta  valleys  and  the  mount- 
ains to  the  north.  The  true  name  of  their  tribe 
they  have  forgotten  or  will  not  tell,  having  been 
called  Shastas  for  half  a  century,  but  the  name  of 
their  beautiful,  patron  mountain  still  remains  to  us, 
I-e-ka,  the  white. 

The  Indians  have  a  tradition  that  the  mountain 
is  the  abode  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and  that  the  whole 
country  about  was  inhabited  by  grizzlies,  who  capt- 
ured the  daughter  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and  married 
her  to  one  of  their  number.  These  were  the  pro- 
genitors of   the  Indians.      They  built  Little  Mount 


HISTOKY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


31 


Shasta  for  a  wigwam  for  the  captured  girl,  that  she 
might  live  near  the  lodge  of  her  father. 

The  Little  Mount  Shasta  referred  to  in  the  legend 
as  the  wigwam  of  the  daughter  of  the  Great  Spirit, 
generally  called  the  Black  Butte,  is  a  miniature 
counterpart  of  the  great  mountain  itself,  minus  the 
snow  and  ice.  It  looks  as  if  the  Creator  when  he 
made  Mount  Shasta  took  the  dirt  and  stones  that 
were  left  over  and  made  a  little  one,  which  he  set 
by  the  great  masterpiece  to  show  how  truly  great 
and  grand  it  was.  Nothing  gives  us  so  good  an 
idea  of  the  greatness  of  Shasta  as  to  compare  it  with 
the  apparently  dwarf-like  hills  that  surround  it, 
and  which,  were  it  not  for  the  overshadowing  pres- 
sence  of  the  mighty  mountain,  would  be  great  them- 
selves. Surely  a  peak  ten  thousand  feet  high,  like 
the  Goose  Nest,  is  no  little  hill,  and  yet  beside 
Shasta  it  looks  like  the  little  pile  of  snow  beside  the 
great  snowball  the  boys  roll  up  in  winter.  The 
mountain  is  an  old  volcano,  which  still  exhibits  its 
vitality  in  the  shape  of  the  hot  springs  that  bubble 
up  on  the  apex  of  the  highest  peak.  They  are  thus 
described  by  the  United  States  Coast  Survey:  'A 
very  remaidcable  feature  of  Mount  Shasta  is  the  collec- 
tion of  hot  springs  two  hundred  feet  below  the  top. 
The  extreme  summit  is  a  steep  ridge,  not  more  than 
two  hundred  or  three  hundred  feet  through  on  a 
level  with  the  springs,  and  composed  of  shattered 
lava  which  looks  as  though  any  water  falling  in 
rain  or  formed  by  melting  snow  on  it  would 
immediately  run  out  through  the  cracks.  There  is 
in  the  material  nothing  which,  when  brought  in  con-, 
tact  with  the  air  or  moisture,  would  cause  heat  by 
chemical  action;  yet  at  the  bottom  of  the  steep 
ridge  there  is  a  little  flat  of  half  an  acre,  full  of  hot 
springs,  most  of  them  very  small  and  the  largest  not 
more  than  three  feet  across.  Thej'  have  a  tempera- 
ture of  100°,  and  their  water  is  strong  with  sulphur 
and  other  minerals.  In  some,  the  water  bubbles  up 
violently,  and  there  are  openings  in  the  earth  from 
which  hot  steam  rushes  out  with  great  force  and 
considerable  noise.  One  of  these  vents  throws  out 
a  jet  of  steam  two  feet  in  diameter.  These  springs, 
and  the  earth  around  them,  retain  their  heat 
through  winter  as  well  as  summer,  notwithstanding 
the  severe  cold  which  must  prevail  there.  1  On  the 
first  of  October  the  thermometer  was  below  the 
freezing  point,  at  both  sunrise  and  sunset,  and  the 
temperature  of  the  year  there  is  probably,  for  we 
have  no  series  of  observations,  not  higher  than  30°, 
possibly  much  below  that  figure.  Immense  masses 
of  snow  lie  on  the  southern  side  of  the  mountain 
through  the  summer,  and  on  the  northern  side  there 
is  a  living  glacier.  Notwithstanding  the  almost 
constant  cold  resulting  from  the  snow,  ice  and  high 
elevation,   the  great  heat  supplied  from  the  heart  of 


the  mountain  does  not  give  way.  The  waters  of 
these  springs  must  be  forced  up  by  a  power,  which, 
though  small  in  comparison,  still  suggests  the 
mighty  forces  that  piled  up  this  cone  to  the  height 
of  8,000  feet  above  the  highest  adjacent  ridges,  and 
from  its  extinct  craters  poured  out  the  lava  that 
covered  hundreds  of  square  miles  with  desolation." 

There  are  several  craters  on  Mount  Shasta,  but 
the  largest  is  on  the  western  peak  that  is  several  hun- 
dred feet  lower  than  the  main  summit  on  which  are 
the  springs,  and  separated  from  it  by  a  deep  gorge 
filled  with  frozen  snow  and  ice.  The  height  of  the 
mountain  as  given  by  Professor  Whitney  is  14,440, 
by  the  Coast  Survey  is  14,443  feet.  W.  S.  Moses 
was  on  the  mountain  from  sunrise  till  three  o'clock 
August  21,  1861,  and  made  eleven  observations 
with  an  instrument  furnished  him  by  the  Smith- 
sonian Institute  for  that  purpose,  and  fixed  the 
height  at  14,437  feet.  Professor  Whitney  made 
but  one  observation,  still  his  estimate,  14,440  feet, 
is  the  usually  accepted  one.  There  are  but  two 
points  higher  on  the  coast,  Mount  Whitney,  15,000 
and  Mount  Williamson  14,500  feet.  These  peaks, 
however,  cannot  approach  Shasta  in  grandeur  and 
magnificence,  for  their  bases  rest  on  the  top  of  high 
ridges  of  mountains,  above  which  they  rise  but  a 
few  thousand  feet,  while  the  base  of  Shasta  is  but 
3,570  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  the  mountain 
towers  up  in  one  single  peak  nearly  11,000  feet,  the 
grandest  and  noblest  in  America,  imaged  on  canvas 
and  immortalized  in  song. 

The  ascent  of  the  mountain,  until  recent  years, 
was  an  undertaking  of  considerable  magnitude  and 
clanger,  but  now,  by  means  of  the  experience  of 
years  and  the  services  of  well-trained  guides,  it  is 
possible  to  all  those  who  have  the  strength  and 
endurance  to  stand  the  fatigue  of  so  long  a  climb. 
It  is  customary  to  advance  as  far  as  the  timber  line, 
and  there  remain  all  night.  From  here,  by  starting 
early  in  the  morning,  the  top  can  be  gained  and  a 
descent  made  the  same  day.  After  a  toilsome  climb 
and  an  hour  or  two  spent  on  the  summit  enjoying 
the  panorama  of  mountains,  lakes,  valleys,  rivers, 
and  ocean  spread  out  before  the  eye,  it  is  pleasant 
to  sit  on  the  board  or  blanket  used  for  a  sled,  and, 
with  a  long  pole  that  serves  both  as  a  rudder  and  a 
brake,  shoot  down  the  snow  surface  of  the  mount- 
ain side  in  one  long,  wild  slide  of  several  miles,  the 
spray-like  snow  flying  in  a  perfect  cloud  about  the 
head,  and  blinding  the  eyes  like  the  drivings  of  a 
storm.  The  rapidity  with  which  the  traveler  shoots 
over  the  snow  in  the  steeper  places  is  terrific,  and 
gives  him  almost  the  sensation  of  falling  through 
interminable  space,  but  when  the  snow  disappears 
in  the  great  forest  below,  and  the  coaster  rises  to 
his   feet  and  gazes  up  the  great    mountain    down 


32 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


which  he  came  in  as  many  minutes  as  it  took  him 
hours  to  ascend,  he  realizes  still  more  the  immensity 
of  his  journey,  and  feels  himself  over  to  see  if  he  is 
all  there,  or  if  pieces  of  himself  have  been  scattered 
along  the  route,  giving  a  sigh  of  satisfaction  when 
he  discovers  himself  to  be  sound  in  body  and  mind, 
and  longs  to  go  up  and  try  it  again.  It  was  four 
years  after  the  adventuresome  miner  penetrated  this 
region  before  any  one  attempted  to  make  an  ascent 
of  Shasta.  Early  in  September,  1854,  Capt.  J.  D. 
Pierce,  a  merchant  of  Yreka,  ascended  the  peak 
alone,  and  so  incredible  did  his  story  of  it  appear 
that  few  would  believe  him,  and  a  party  of  thirteen 
from  Yreka,  Humbug  and  Scott  valley  was  organ- 
ized to  go  with  him  on  a  second  trip.  Pierce  guided 
them  safely  to  the  top  and  proved  the  claim  he  had 
made  to  be  the  first  white  man  (and  it  is  not  known 
that  any  Indian  ever  was  there)  to  set  foot  on 
the  barren  top  of  Shasta's  lofty  peak,  fourteen 
thousand  four  hundred  and  forty  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  The  Yreka  portion  of  this  party 
lost  their  horses  and  were  thus  delayed  one  day, 
passing  the  others  coming  down  as  they  went 
up.  The  party  that  made  the  ascent  with  Captain 
Pierce,  September  19,  1854,  was  composed  of  Major 
Charles  McDermit,  Captain  William  Martin,  Norval 
Garland,  and  three  others.  In  the  Yreka  party  that 
went  up  the  next  day  were  J.  Lytle  Cummins,  J.  S. 
Cummins,  Dr.  F.  G.  Hearn.  Holland  Parker,  R. 
B.  Stratton,  and  Yank  Holden.  On  the  barren 
lava  rock  that  composes  the  extreme  summit  they 
made  a  little  depository  of  rocks,  in  which  they 
placed  a  copy  of  the  Mountain  Herald,  New  York 
Herald,  New  Testament,  constitution  and  by-laws 
of  the  Sons  of  Temperance  and  Odd  Fellows,  where 
they  remained  for  years  in  a  perfect  state  of  preser- 
vation, the  papers  not  even  rotting  or  moulding  where 
they  were  folded.  The  temperature  here,  probably, 
seldom  rises  above  the  freezing  point,  and  the  barren 
rock  and  preservation  of  these  papers  seem  to  indi- 
cate that  snow  or  moisture  of  any  kind  never  falls 
on  the  extreme  summit.  The  custom  of  leaving 
some  paper  or  article  there  has  been  a  general  one, 
and  gives  much  pleasure  to  those  who  find  them 
years  later.  Dr.  Hearn  had  with  him  a  Roach's 
thermometer,  and  recorded  the  temperature  every 
five  minutes  from  the  timber  line  to  the  summit. 
These  were  the  first  observations  taken,  and  are 
given  here  condensed  to  four  observations  per 
hour : — 

Time.  *  Degree. 

6  A.  M 61 

6:15 61 

6:30 62 

6 :45  (Vegetation  growing) 58 

7 :00  (First  snow) 56 


Time.  Degree. 

7:15 55 

7:30 54 

7:45 53 

8:00 52 

8:15 52 

8:30.  . 54 

8:45 58 

9:00 58 

9:15 54 

9:30 52 

9:45 61 

10:00... 58 

10:15 ••■    46 

10:30 50 

10:45   (Red  bluff) 50 

11:00 60 

11:15 50 

11:30 50 

11:45 55 

12:00 50 

,  9  , .      f  Picked  up  a  butterfly  off  the  snow,  )  _  . 

(      one  mile  from  summit J 

12:30 54 

12:45 50 

1:00  P.M 50 

1:15 44 

1 :20  (Hot  springs) 70 

1 :30  (Summit) 36 

Temperature  of  the  boiling  spring,  180°.  This 
temperature  is  much  great  than  given  by  the  Coast 
Survey,  and  it  probably  raises  many  degrees,  being 
sometimes  simply  warm  water,  and  at  others,  emit- 
ting clouds  of  steam. 

There  are  but  three  months  in  the  year  when  it 
is  considered  safe  to  ascend  the  mountain — July, 
August,  and  September.  Long  before  the  winter 
rains  set  in  storms  rage  about  its  lofty  brow,  and 
woe  to  the  venturesome  traveler  who  has  to  contend 
with  their  fury.  In  the  spring,  storms  beat  upon  its 
face  when  all  is  quiet  below,  and  the  frozen  snow  is 
so  hard  and  slippery  that  danger  attends  every  foot- 
step. It  is  then  only  when  the  weather  is  fairest 
and  after  the  rays  of  the  sun  have  so  softened  the 
snow  that  a  good  foot-hold  can  be  had,  that  the 
pleasure-seeker  attempts  the  long  journey  to  the 
top,  though  for  scientific  reasons,  ascents  have  been 
made  as  early  as  April  and  as  late  as.  November. 
To  see  the  sun  rise  from  the  apex  of  Shasta  has 
been  the  ambition  of  thousands,  but  few  have  dared 
to  brave  the  rigors  of  a  night  on  its  frigid  top.  The 
first  to  attempt  it  was  N.  C.  Mayhew,  who  left 
Shasta  valley  one  night  in  the  summer  of  1859, 
with  two  or  three  companions,  carrying  blankets, 
wood,  and  coffee.  While  on  the  journey  up  their 
exertions  kept  them  warm,  but  when  they  reached 


N.  H.  EDDY. 


MRS.  N.  H.  EDDY, 


NELSON  HARVEY  EDDY 

Was  bom  in  the  town  of  Sheldon,  Wyoming  county. 
New  York,  December  25, 1830.  He  is  a  son  of  Levi 
anil  Lury  (Lewis)  Eddy.  His  father  was  a  Dative  of 
Maine,  and  his  mother  of  Orange  county,  New 
York.  Of  his  father's  family  there  were  seven 
children,  viz.:  Edwin,  Nelson  H,  Mary  A.,  Henry, 
Lury  C,  (now  Mrs.  Willard  P.  Stone),  Charles  J., 
and  William,  who  died  in  infancy.  Mary  A.  is  now 
Mrs.  Norton  Stone,  of  Big  Valley,  California.  When 
Mr.  Eddy  was  about  the  age  of  fourteen,  his  parents 
removed  west,  and  located  on  a  farm  near  Burling- 
ton, Kane  county,  Illinois,  and  there  he  worked  ou 
the  farm  with  them  until  April  6,  1854,  when  he 
fitted  out  an  ox-team,  and  started  across  the  plains, 
arriving  at  Yruka,  October  3, 1854.  He  then  located 
what  he  now  calls  his  mountain  ranch,  on  sections 
sixteen,  seventeen,  and  twenty-one,  township  forty- 
one,  range  six  west.  Here  he  continued  to  live 
until  1867,  when  he  purchased  the  farm  on  which 
he  now  lives,  consisting  of  318  acres,  on  sections 
twenty-five  and  twenty-six,  township  forty-two 
north,  range  five  west.  He  was  married  March  27, 
1854.  to  Miss  Olive  Louisa  Paddock,  daughter  of 
John  and  Olive  Paddock.  Her  father  was  a  native 
of  New  York,  and  her  mother  of  Massachusetts. 
Mrs.  Eddy  was  born  near  New  Philadelphia,  Tus- 
carawas county,  Ohio.     Of  her  father's  family  there 


were  eight  children  :  John  R ,  Ann  Maria  (now  Mrs. 
John  Knaus),  Ruth  M.,  Sarah  J.  (now  Mrs.  Brown, 
of  Sycamore,  Illinois)  Hannah  A.  (now  Mrs.  Rouse, 
of  Minnesota),  Celestia  (deceased),  Olive  L.  (now 
Mrs.  N;  H.  Eddy),  and  Adelaide  (now  Mrs.  Gardner, 
of  Iowa).  Of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eddy's  family  there  are 
three,  viz. :  Irving  L.,  born  October  7,1856;  Alta 
Cadelia,  born  April  29,  1860,  and  Alice  Grant,  born 
April  7,  1865.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eddy  have  been 
among  the  many  successful  farmers  of  Shasta  val- 
ley, and  have  by  the  combined  efforts  of  themselves 
and  children  acquired  a  good  home  and  competence, 
erected  upon  a  small  foundation,  for  when  they 
arrived  in  Siskiyou  county  all  they  had  were  their 
yoke  of  oxen  and  one  cow.  The  first  location  is  at 
Eddy  mountain,  so  called  on  account  of  Mr.  Eddy's 
home  there.  His  present  home  is  located  about  two 
and  one-half  miles  from  the  base  of  Mount  Shasta, 
in  a  beautiful  cove  in  the  foot-hills,  and  is  one  of  the 
best  stock  ranches  in  the  valley,  supplied  with  water 
flowing  from  the  snow-capped  mountains.  It  is 
well  supplied  with  barns  for  the  care  of  all  products 
of  the  place.  Small  fruits  are  grown  in  great 
abundance,  as  well  as  apples,  pears,  and  peaches.  In 
politics  Mr.  Eddy  is  a  Republican;  in  religion,  a 
Protestant.  He  is  a  Mason,  and  belongs  to  Howard 
Lodge,  No.  96,  at  Yreka,  of  which  he  was  Senior 
Warden  for  three  vears. 


X 

□ 


uJ     o 
>    ° 


en 


r5> 


LU 

^c 

ii 

fc 

ll 

a 

o 

3^ 

UJ 

K 

a 

9= 

< 

_ 

— i 

./^ 

LL 

if 

rr 

^ 

£ 

^ 

S* 

HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


33 


the  springs  they  found  the  wood,  blankets,  and 
coffee,  which  they  warmed  in  the  springs,  none  too 
much  to  keep  them  from  freezing.  As  the  sun 
began  to  rise,  the  east  was  all  aglow  with  light, 
while  to  the  west  the  lofty  peak  cast  a  shadow  of 
intense  gloom  that  extended  clear  to  the  ocean  more 
than  a  hundred  miles  away,  its  sides  being  clearly 
defined  by  the  increasing  light.  As  the  sun  gradu- 
ally mounted  the  crimson  vault,  the  higher  peaks 
that  lay  within  the  mighty  shadow  pierced  the 
gloom,  while  below  them  reigned  midnight  darkness. 
Gradually  the  mountains  evolved  themselves,  then 
the  valleys,  then  the  ocean,  and  at  last  the  darkness 
was  conquered  and  the  full  rays  of  the  sun  irradi- 
ated every  object.  On  the  twenty-first  of  August, 
1861,  a  party  from  Deadwood,  consisting  of  C.  H. 
Pyle,  Brice  C.  Pennington,  Wesley  Morse,  Colonel 
Johnson,  W.  S.  Moses,  of  Yreka,  and  a  few  others, 
started  from  the  timber  line  in  the  night,  and 
reached  the  summit  just  five  minutes  before  the  sun 
appeared  in  the  east,  and  witnessed  the  glories  of  its 
.onward  march.  Since  then  quite  a  number  have 
gone  up  to  see  the  rising  sun,  while  others  have 
spent  the  night  by  the  friendly  springs,  shivering 
and  freezing,  to  be  the  first  in  California  to  greet 
the  god  of  day  in  the  morning.  Mr.  Clarence 
Kino-,  the  geologist,  spent  two  nights,  one  on  the 
crater  peak  and  one  on  the  summit,  which  he  thus 
describes  in  his  Mountaineering  in  the  Sierras,  in 
1870:— 

"September  11th  found  the  climbers  of  our 
party — S.  F.  Emmons,  Frederick  A.  Clark,  Albert 
B.  Clark,  and  myself — mounted  upon  mules,  head- 
ing for  the  crater  cone  over  rough  rocks  and  among 
the  stunted  firs  and  pines  which  mark  the  upper  limit 
of  forest  growth.  The  morning  was  cool  and  clear 
with  a  fresh  north  wind  sweeping  around  the  vol- 
cano and  bringing  in  its  descent  invigorating  cold 
of  the  snow  region.  When  we  had  gone  as  far  as 
our  mules  could  carry  us,  threading  their  difficult 
way  among  piles  of  lava,  we  dismounted  and  made 
up  our  packs  of  beds,  instruments,  food  and  fuel  for 
a  three  days'  trip,  turned  the  animals  over  to  George 
and  John,  our  two  muleteers,  bade  them  good-day, 
and  with  a  guide,  who  was  to  accompany  us  up  the 
first  ascent,  struck  out  on  foot.  Already  above 
vegetation,  we  looked  out  over  all  the  valley  south 
and  west,  observing  its  arabesque  of  forest,  meadow, 
and  chaparral,  the  files  of  pines  which  struggled  up 
almost  to  our  feet,  and  just  below  us  the  volcano 
slope  strewn  with  red  and  brown  wreck  and  patches 
of  shrunken  snow-drift. 

"Our  climb  up  the  steep  western  crater  slope  was 
slow  and  tiresome,  quite  without  risk  or  excitement. 
The  footing,  altogether  of  lodged  debris,  at  times 
gave  way  provokingly,  and  threw  us  out  of  balance. 


Once  upon  the  spiry  pinnacles  which  crown  the 
crater  rim,  a  scene  of  wild  power  broke  upon  us. 
The  round  crater-bowl,  about  a  mile  in  diameter  and 
nearly  a  thousand  feet  deep,  lay  beneath  us,  its  steep, 
shelving  sides  of  shattered  lava  mantled  in  places  to 
the  very  bottom  by  fields  of  snow.  We  clambered 
along  the  edge  toward  Shasta,  and  came  to  a  place 
where  for  a  thousand  feet  it  was  a  mere  blade  of 
ice,  sharpened  by  the  snow  into  a  thin,  frail  edge, 
upon  which  we  walked  in  cautious  balance,  a  mis- 
step likely  to  hurl  us  down  into  the  chaos  of  lava 
blocks  within  the  crater.  Passing  this,  we  reached 
the  north  edge  of  the  rim,  and  from  a  rugged 
mound  of  shattered  rock  looked  down  into  a  gorge 
between  us  and  the  main  Shasta.  There,  winding 
its  huge  body  along,  lay  a  glacier,  riven  with  sharp, 
deep  crevasses  yawning  fifty  or  sixty  feet  wide,  the 
blue  hollows  of  their  shadowed  depth  contrasting 
with  the  brilliant  surfaces  of  ice.     ***** 

"Our  little  party  separated,  each  going  about  his 
labor.  The  Clarks,  with  theodolite  and  barometer, 
were  engaged  on  a  pinnacle  over  on  the  western 
crater-edge.  *  *  *  Emmons  and  I  geologized 
about  the  rim  and  interior  slope,  getting  at  last  out 
of  sight  of  one  another.  In  mid-crater  sprang  up  a 
sharp  cone  several  hundred  feet  high,  composed  of 
much  shattered  lava,  and  indicating  doubtless  the 
very  latest  volcanic  activity.  At  its  base  lay  a 
small  lakelet,  frozen  with  rough,  black  ice.  Far 
below  us,  cold,  gray  banks  and  floating  flocks  of 
vapor  began  to  drift  and  circle  about  the  lava  slopes, 
rising  higher  at  sunset,  till  they  quite  enveloped  us, 
and  at  times  shut  out  the  view.  Later  we  met  for 
bivouac,  spread  our  beds  upon  small  debris  under 
lee  of  a  mass  of  rock  on  the  rim,  and  built  a  little 
camp-fire,  around  which  we  sat  closely. 

"We  turned  in;  the  Clarks  together,  Emmons  and 
I  in  our  fur  bags.  Upon  cold  stone  our  bed  was 
anything  but  comfortable,  angular  fragments'  of 
trachyte  finding  their  way  with  great  directness 
among  our  ribs  and  under  shoulder-blades,  keeping 
us  almost  awake  in  that  despairing  semi-conscious- 
ness where  dreams  and  thoughts  tangle  in  tiresome 
confusion.  Just  after  midnight,  from  sheer  weari- 
ness, I  arose,  finding  the  sky  cloudless,  its  whole 
black  dome  crowded  with  stars.  A  silver  dawn 
over  the  slope  of  Shasta  brightened  till  the  moon 
sailed  clear.  Under  its  light  all  the  rugged  topog- 
raphy came  out  with  unnatural  distinctness,  every 
impression  of  height  and  depth  greatly  exaggerated. 
The  empty  crater  lifted  its  rampart  into  the  light. 
I  could  not  tell  which  seemed  most  desolate,  that 
dim  moonlit  rim  with  pallid  snow -mantle  and  gaunt 
crags,  or  the  solid  black  shadow  which  was  cast 
downward  from  southern  walls,  darkening  half  the 
bowl.     From  the  silent  air  every  breath  of  wind  or 


34 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY  CALIFORNIA. 


whisper  of  sound  seemed  frozen.  Naked  lava  slopes 
and  walls,  the  high  gray  bocty  of  Shasta  with  ridge 
and  gorge,  glacier  and  snow-field,  all  cold  and  still 
under  the  icy  brightness  of  the  moon,  produced  a 
scene  of  Arctic  terribleness  such  as  I  had  never 
imagined.  I  looked  down,  eagerly  straining  my 
eyes,  through  the  solemn  crater's  lip,  hoping  to 
catch  a  glimpse  of  the  lower  world;  but  far  below, 
hiding  the  earth,  stretched  out  a  level  plain  of  cloud, 
upon  which  the  light  fell  cold  and  gray  as  upon  a 
frozen  ocean.  I  scrambled  back  to  bed,  and  happily 
to  sleep,  a  real,  sound,  dreamless  repose. 

"We  breakfasted  some  time  after  sunrise,  and 
were  soon  under  way  with  packs  on  our  shoul- 
ders "     *  *  *  *  *       '    *         * 

"After  we  had  walked  alone-  a  short  curved  ridge 
which  forms  the  summit,  representing,  as  I  believe, 
all  that  remains  of  the  original  crater,  it  became 
my  occupation  to  study  the  view.  A  singularly 
transparent  air  revealed  every  plain  and  peak  on  till 
the  earth's  curve  rolled  them  under  remote  horizons. 
The  whole  great  disc  of  world  outspread  beneath 
wore  an  aspect  of  glorious  cheerfulness.  The  Cas- 
cade Range,  a  roll  of  blue  forest  land,  stretched 
northward,  surmounted  at  intervals  by  volcanoes; 
the  lower,  like  symmetrical  Mount  Pitt,  bare  and 
warm  with  rosy  lava  colors;  those  farther  north 
lifting  against  the  pale,  horizon-blue  solid  white 
cones  upon  which  strong  light  rested  with  brilliance. 
It  seemed  incredible  that  we  could  see  so  far  toward 
the  Columbia  river,  almost  across  the  State  of 
Oregon,  but  there  stood  Pitt,  Jefferson,  and  the 
Three  Sisters  in  unmistakable  plainness.  North- 
east and  east  spread  those  great  plains  out  of  which 
rise  low  lava  chains,  and  a  few  small  burned-out 
volcanoes,  and  there,  too,  were  the  group  of  Klamath 
and  Goose  lakes,  lying  in  mid-plain  glassing  the 
deep  upper  violet.  Farther  and  farther  from  our 
mountain  base  in  that  direction  the  greenness  of 
forest  and  meadow  fades  out  into  rich  mellow 
brown,  with  warm  cloudings  of  sienna  over  bare 
lava  hills,  and  shades,  as  you  reach  the  eastern  limit, 
in  pale  ash  and  lavender  and  buff,  where  stretches 
of  level  land  slope  down  over  Madelin  plains  into 
Nevada  deserts.  An  unmistakable  purity  and 
delicacy  of  tint,  with  transparent  air  and  paleness 
of  tone,  give  all  desert  scenes  the  aspect  of  water- 
color  drawings.  Even  at  this  immense  distance  I 
could  see  the  gradual  change  from  rich,  warm  hues  of 
rocky  slope,  or  plain  overspread  with  ripened  vege- 
tation, out  to  the  high  pale  key  of  the  desert.  South- 
east the  mountain  spurs  are  smoothed  into  a  broad 
crlacis,  densely  overgrown  with  chaparral,  and  end- 
ino'  in  open  groves  around  plains  of  yellow  grass. 
A  little  farther  begin  the  wild,  canon-curved  piles 
of  green  mountains  which   represent   the    Sierras, 


and  afar,  toweling  over  them,  eighty  miles  away, 
the  lava  dome  of  Lassen's  Peak  standing  up  bold 
and  fine.  South,  the  Sacramento  canon  cuts  down 
to  unseen  depths,  its  deep  trough  opening  a  view  of 
the  California  plain,  a  brown,  sunny  expanse,  over 
which  loom  in  vanishing  perspective  the  Coast  Range 
peaks.  West  of  us,  and  quite  around  the  semicircle 
of  view,  stretches  a  vast  sea  of  ridges,  chains,  peaks, 
and  sharp  walls  of  canons,  as  wild  and  tumultuous 
as  an  ocean  storm.  Here  and  there  above  the  blue 
billows  rise  snow-crests  and  shaggy  rock-chains, 
but  the  topography  is  indistinguishable.  With 
difficulty  I  could  trace  for  a  short  distance  the 
Klamath  canon  coui'se,  recognizing  Siskiyou  peaks, 
where  Professor  Brewer  and  I  had  been  years  before; 
but  in  that  broad  area  no  further  unraveling  was 
possible.  So  high  is  Shasta,  so  dominant  above  the 
field  of  view,  we  looked  over  it  all  as  upon  a  great 
shield  which  rose  gently  in  all  directions  to  the  sky. 

"Whichever  way  we  turned  the  great  cone  fell 
off  from  our  feet  in  dizzying  abruptness.  We 
looked  down  steep  slopes  of  neve,  on  over  shattered 
ice- wreck,  where  glaciers  roll  over  cliffs,  and  around 
the  whole  broad  massive  base  curved  deeply  through 
its  lava  crusts  in  straight  canons.  These  flutino-s  of 
ancient  and  grander  glaciers  are  flanked  by  straight, 
long  moraines,  for  the  most  part  bare,  but  reaching 
down  part  way  into  the  forest.  It  is  interesting  to 
observe  that  those  on  the  north  and  east,  by  greater 
massiveness  and  length,  indicate  that  in  former  days 
the  glacier  distribution  was  related  to  the  points  of 
compass  about  as  it  is  now.  What  volumes  of 
geographical  history  lay  in  view !  Old  mountain 
uplift;  volcanoes  built  upon  the  plain  of  fiery  lava; 
the  chill  of  ice  and  wearing  force  of  torrent,  written 
in  glacier -gorge  and  water-curved  canon.     *     *     * 

"A  fierce  wind  blew  from  the  south-west,  coming 
in  afusts  of  great  force.  Below,  we  could  hear  it 
beat  surf-like  upon  the  crags.  We  hurried  down 
to  the  hot-spring  flat,  and  just  over  the  curve  of  its 
southern  descent  made  our  bivouac.  Even  here  the 
wind  howled  merciless  and  cold. 

"We  turned  to  and  built  of  lava  blocks  a  square 
pen  about  two  and  a  half  feet  high,  filled  the  chinks 
with  pebbles,  and  banked  it  with  sand.  I  have  seen 
other  brown-stone  fronts  more  imposing  than  our 
Shasta  home,  but  I  have  rarely  felt  more  grateful 
to  four  walls  than  to  that  little  six-by-six  pen.  I 
have  not  forgotten  that  through  its  chinks  the  sand 
and  pebbles  pelted  us  all  night,  nor  was  I  oblivious 
when  sudden  gusts  toppled  over  here  and  there  a 
good-sized  rock  upon  our  feet.  When  we  sat  up  for 
our  cup  of  coffee,  which  Clark  artistically  concocted 
over  the  scanty  and  economical  fire,  the  walls 
sheltered  our  backs;  and  for  that  we  were  thankful, 
even  if  the  wind  had  full  sweep  at  our  heads  and 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


35 


stole  the  very  draught  from  our  lips,  whirling  it 
about  north  forty  east  by  compass,  in  the  form  of 
an  infinitesimal  spray.  The  zephyr,  as  we  cour- 
teously called  it,  had  a  fashion  of  dropping  verti- 
cally out  of  the  sky  upon  our  fire  and  leaving  a 
clean  hearth.  For  the  space  of  a  few  moments  after 
these  meteorological  jokes  there  was  a  lively  gather- 
ing of  burning  knots  from  among  our  legs  and  coats 
and  blankets. 

"There  are  times  when  the  extreme  of  discomfort 
so  overdoes  itself  as  to  extort  a  laugh  and  put  one  in 
the  best  of  humor.  This  tempest  descended  to  so 
many  absurd  personal  tricks  altogether  beneath  the 
dignity  of  a  reputable  hurricane,  that  at  last  it 
seemed  to  us  a  sort  of  furious  burlesque.  Not  so 
the  cold;  that  commanded  entire  respect,  whether 
carefully  abstracting  our  animal  heat  through  the 
bed  of  gravel  on  which  we  lay,  or  brooding  over 
us  hungry  for  those  pleasant  little  waves  of  motion 
which,  taking  Tyndall  for  granted,  radiated  all 
night  long,  in  spite  of  wildcat  bags,  from  our 
unwilling  particles.  I  abominate  thermometers  at 
such  times.  Not  one  of  my  set  ever  owned  up 
the  real  state  of  things.  Whenever  I  am  nearly 
frozen  and  conscious  of  every  indurated  bone,  that 
bland  little  instrument  is  sure  to  read  twenty  or 
thirty  degrees  above  any  unprejudiced  estimate. 
Lying  there  and  listening  to  the  whispering  sands 
that  kindly  drifted,  ever  adding  to  our  cover,  and 
speculating  as  to  any  further  possible  meteorological 
affliction  was  but  indifferent  amusement,  from 
which  I  escaped  to  a  slumber  of  great  industry. 
We  lay  like  sardines,  hoping  to  encourage  animal 
heat,  but  with  small  success. 

"  The  sunrise  effect,  with  all  its  splendor,  I  find  it 
convenient  to  leave  to  some  future  traveler.  I 
shall  be  generous  with  him,  and  say  nothing  of  that 
hour  of  gold.  It  had  occurred  long  before  we 
awoke,  and  many  precious  minutes  were  consumed 
in  united  appeals  to  one  another  to  get  up  and  make 
coffee.  It  was  horridly  cold  and  uncomfortable 
where  we  were,  but  no  one  stirred.  How  natural 
it  is  under  such  circumstances  to 

'Rather  bear  those  ills  we  have 
Than  fly  to  others  that  we  know  not  of. ' 

"I  lay  musing  on  this,  finding  it  singular  that  I 
should  rather  be  there  stiff  and  cold  while  my  like- 
minded  comrades  appealed  to  me,  than  to  get  up 
and  comfort  rnyself  with  camp-fire  and  breakfast. 
We  severally  awaited  developments.  At  last  Clark 
gave  up  and  made  the  fire,  and  he  has  left  me  in 
doubt  whether  he  loved  cold  less  or  coffee  more. 
Digging  out  our  breakfast  from  drifted  sand  was 
pleasant  enough,  nor  did  we  object  to  excavating 
the  frozen  shoes,  but  the  mixture  of  disintegrated 
trachyte  discovered  among  the  sugar,  and  the  man- 


ner in  which  our  brown-stone  front  had  blown  over 
and  flattened  out  the  family  provisions  was  received 
by  us  as  calamity.  However,  we  did  justice  to 
Clark's  coffee,  and  socially  toasted  our  bits  of  meat, 
while  we  chatted  and  ate  zestfully  portions  not  too 
freely  brecciated  with  lava  sand.  I  have  been  at 
times  all  but  morbidly  aware  of  the  power  of  local 
attachment,  finding  it  absurdly  hard,  to  turn  the 
key  on  doors  I  have  entered  often  and  with  pleas- 
ure. My  own  early  home,  though  in  other  hands, 
holds  its  own  against  greater  comfort,  larger  cheer; 
and  a  hundred  times,  when  our  little  train  moved 
away  from  grand  old  trees  or  willow-shaded  springs 
by  mountain  camps,  I  have  felt  all  the  pathos  of 
nomadism,  from  the  Aryan  migration  down. 

"As  we  shouldered  our  loads  and  took  to  the  ice- 
field I  looked  back  on  our  modest  edifice,  and  for 
the  first  time  left  my  camp  with  gay  relief." 

Prof.  John  Muir.the  celehrated  mountain  p-eologist, 
and  A.  F.  Rogers  of  the  United  States  Coast  Survey, 
ascended  Shasta,  with  a  guide,  April  28,  1875,  for 
the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  feasibility  of  erecting 
a  monument  on  the  extreme  summit.  The  next 
day  Muir  went  up  with  the  guide,  while  Rogers 
remained  below  to  answer  signals.  About  ten 
o'clock  a  storm  arose  that  obscured  the  mountain 
so  that  signals  could  not  be  seen,  and  as  Muir  had 
been  there  during  a  storm  the  previous  October,  he 
determined  to  remain  until  three  o'clock,  with  the 
hope  that  by  that  time  it  would  have  cleared  up 
sufficiently  to  permit  observations  to  be  made.  The 
storm  increased  in  violence,  so  that  descent  was 
impossible,  and  the  two  men  were  compelled  to  pass 
the  night  there,  without  anything  to  wrap  around 
them  or  of  which  to  build  a  fire.  Hastening  to  the 
hot  springs  that  boil  up  near  the  summit,  they 
endeavored  by  lying  in  the  mud  to  keep  from  death 
by  freezing.  A  cold  wind  blew  in  a  perfect  hurri- 
cane, while  the  thermometer  was  many  degrees 
below  zero.  Blistered  by  the  heat  below  and  be- 
numbed by  the  chilling  wind  above,  they  suffered 
untold  agonies  throughout  that  terrible  night.  Now 
lying  on  the  back,  now  on  the  face,  now  on  one  side 
and  now  on  the  other,  they  changed  their  position 
as  often  as  the  heat  of  the  mud  became  unendurable, 
and,  as  they  rolled  over,  the  raw  wind  swept  across 
the  blisters  the  heat  had  raised,  and  added  new  suf- 
fering1 to  the  sum  of  their  agonies.  As  soon  as 
morning  dawned  they  started  to  descend,  weak, 
feeble,  and  almost  crazy  from  pain,  and  were  met 
by  friends  who  had  started  up  to  their  relief,  but 
not  until  their  blistered  feet  had  become  frost-bitten 
and  their  clothing  had  frozen  and  mercilessly  chafed 
their  parboiled  flesh.  Their  experience  was  a  ter- 
rible one,  and  will  serve  as  a  warning  to  any  fool- 
hardy man  who  may  think  that  April  is  a  safe 


36 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


month  in  which  to  test  the  fitful  temper  of  old 
Boreas  on  Mount  Shasta.  In  October,  1875,  the 
monument  was  set  in  place.  It  weighs  two  thou- 
sand pounds,  and  is  cylindrical  in  form,  sixteen  feet 
high  and  three  feet  in  diameter,  made  of  boiler  iron. 
The  cylinder  is  surmounted  by  a  bell-shaped  cap  of 
polished  composition  that  reflects  the  rays  of  the 
sun,  and  can  be  seen  with  a  powerful  glass  at  a 
distance  of  one  hundred  miles,  even  when  interven- 
ing clouds  obscure  it  from  the  vision  of  those  at  the 
base  of  the  mountain,  and,  to  the  mariner  on  the 
ocean,  is  an  infallible  landmark  and  guide.  It  was 
taken  up  on  wagons  a  distance  of  five  miles,  then 
on  mules  a  distance  of  two  and  one-half  miles  above 
the  old  camp  ground,  and,  from  that  point  to  the 
summit,  thirty  men  carried  it,  in  small  pieces,  on 
their  backs. 

To  the  north-east  of  Shasta,  in  the  Butte  creek 
mountains,  is  a  prominent  peak  called  the  Goose 
Nest,  from  the  peculiar  shape  of  its  bald  top,  on 
which  is  the  crater  of  an  extinct  volcano.  The 
mountain  is  covered  with  timber  nearly  to  the  top, 
but  above  this  rises  the  crater  peak,  bald  and  bleak, 
its  circular  depression  filled  with  snow.  But  few 
people  have  ever  ascended  this  lofty  mountain,  the 
overshadowing  presence  of  Shasta  demanding  all 
the  admiration  the  heart  can  give,  and  filling  the 
eye  to  the  exclusion  of  such  peaks  as  this.  Its  height 
is  unknown,  but  is  between  eight  and  ten  thousand 
feet.  The  whole  summit  is  covered  with  loose  sand 
and  pumice-stone  of  a  dark  red  color.  The  crater 
is  from  two  to  four  hundred  feet  deep  in  the  center, 
and  nearly  a  mile  across.  In  1854  John  B.  Rohrer 
reared  on  the  summit  a  monument  of  rocks,  between 
the  topmost  stones  of  which  he  placed  a  bottle, 
securely  corked,  in  which  was  a  paper  bearing  the 
date  of  his  visit.  This  is  still  there,  and  the  paper 
contains  the  following  inscriptions  :  "  1854,  Sept.  22, 
1  p.  M.,  John  B.  Rohrer."  "  1874,  Dec.  29,  2  p.  M., 
John  B.  Rohrer,  William  L.  Babcock  and  Louis 
Rohrer."  "1876,  July  13,  2|  p.  M.,  Edward  L. 
Greene   and  John   Cosby." 

Other  prominent  points  about  Shasta  are  Sheep 
Rock  and  Table  Rock.  The  former  lies  at  the  east- 
ern side  of  Shasta  valley,  near  the  base  of  Goose 
Nest,  and  is  an  immense,  rugged  mass  of  rocks, 
deriving  its  title  from  the  bands  of  mountain  sheep 
that  have  made  their  home  there.  Table  Rock  lies 
to  the  north  of  this,  near  the  road  that  passes  from 
Little  Shasta  to  Butte  creek.  It  is  a  solid  ledge  of 
rocks  ten  hundred  and  forty-five  feet  long,  fifty  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  wide,  and  from  sixty  to 
one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  high,  from  which  all 
dirt  and  loose  particles  have  been  worn  away  by 
the  elements.  It  crowns  a  hill  whose  base  is  a  mile 
long.     The  rock  is  exceedingly  hard  to  climb,  but 


two  or  three  passages  have  been  found  by  means  of 
which  the  top  may  be  gained. 

In  the  country  lying  south  of  Klamath,  Tule  and 
Clear  lakes  are  those  immense  beds  of  lava  rock, 
made  so  famous  in  history  by  the  exploits  of  Cap- 
tain Jack  and  his  band.  A  full  description  of  these 
is  given  in  the  narrative  of  the  Modoc  War.  In 
this  region  are  many  caves,  though  none  of  them 
very  extensive.  Caves  also  are  found  in  other  por- 
tions of  the  county,  some  of  which  have  historical 
events  connected  with  them.  Of  these  the  one  near 
Fall  creek,  north  of  the  Klamath,  is  the  most  noted, 
being  the  scene  of  the  cave  fight  mentioned  in  an- 
other portion  of  this  volume.  The  largest,  however, 
is  one  discovered  near  Sheep  Rock  in  the  spring  of 
1863,  by  Nelson  Cash,  while  hunting  estrayed  cat- 
tle. In  April  of  the  same  year,  George  W.  Tyler 
and  Elijah  Heard  made  an  extended  exploration  of 
the  cave  and  christened  it  Pluto's  Cave.  '  The 
entrance  was  about  five  hundred  feet  above  the  val- 
ley, being  some  three  miles  up  the  slope  of  the 
mountain.  They  entered  through  an  opening  ten 
feet  high  and  twenty  wide,  and  advanced  through  a 
succession  of  halls  and  chambers,  or  caverns,  until 
they  passed  through  an  opening  thirty  feet  square 
into  the  large  cavern,  or  cave  proper.  They  trav- 
ersed this  cautiously,  over  piles  of  fallen  rocks  and 
other  obstructions,  until  they  came  to  where  an 
immense  heap  of  rocks  barred  further  progress. 
The  distance  to  this  point  from  the  entrance  they 
estimated  at  from  one  and  one-half  to  two  miles, 
and  how  far  beyond  the  barrier  of  rocks  it  extended 
could  not  even  be  conjectured.  Quite  a  current  of 
air  was  felt  in  the  cavern,  nearly  extinguishing 
their  candles,  caused  by  a  subterranean  river,  an- 
other cavern,  or  a  second  entrance  beyond.  In  the 
main  cavern  were  found  a  pile  of  faggots  and  other 
evidences  of  a  fire,  that  bore  the  appearance  of  hav- 
ing been  there  for  \ears,  perhaps  centuries,  and 
probably  had  been,  as  the  existence  of  the  cave  was 
unknown  to  the  Indians.  The  walls  within  are  very 
dry,  the  usual  dampness  of  a  subterranean  cavern 
being  absent,  thus  contributing  to  the  preservation 
of  objects  deposited  there.  Quite  a  number  of  peo- 
ple have  visited  the  cave  at  different  times,  but  a 
more  thorough  exploration  than  this  has  never  been 
made.  Several  smaller  caves  have  been  discovered 
within  a  radius  of  a  few  miles,  but  none  of  so  great 
dimensions  as  this. 

Second  only  to  Mount  Shasta  in  grandeur,  and 
superior  to  it  in  many  respects  for  beaut}' of  scenery 
and  natural  wonders,  and  lying  in  the  mountains 
that  hem  in  Scott  valley  to  the  westward,  is  Marble 
mountain,  so  called  by  the  whites,  but  by  the 
natives  the  White  mountain.  It  is  thus  described 
by  I.  A.  Reynolds,  who  has  visited  it  many  times  to 


DAVID  DETER. 


MRS.   DAVID  DETEE. 


[  See  Biography  between  pages  203  and  209.] 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


37 


enjoy  its  beauties  and  hunt  deer  on  its  grassy  slopes : 
"When  viewed  from  a  distance,  it  has  all  the  appear- 
ance of  a  barren  and  craggy  height,  whose  summit 
has  been  but  lately  covered  with  snow;  but  upon 
near  approach  it  proves  to  be  the  natural  color  of 
the  rock  which  composes  it,  for  it  consists  of  an 
immense  upheaval  of  limestone  rock,  which  under 
the  influences  of  heat  and  pressure  has  been  partially 
metamorphosed  into  marble,  of  which  nearly  every 
description  can  be  found,  from  the  coarser,  rougher 
qualities  to  that  of  monumental  purity.  Winter 
and  summer  it  presents  the  same  cold  and  gloomy 
like  grandeur  that  readily  distinguishes  it  from  all 
its  surroundings.  Indeed,  from  its  peculiar  appear- 
ance in.  this  respect,  it  long  served  as  a  kind  of  land 
mark  or  guide  to  the  early  pioneers  who  first  ven- 
tured into  these  mountain  fastnesses.  The  old  Kel- 
sey  trail,  which  is  one  of  the  first  trails  ever  blazed 
out  across  these  mountains  into  Scott  valley,  lies 
almost  directly  at  its  base,  and  few  who  ever  passed 
that  way,  but  checked  his  mule  to  gaze  upward  with 
wonder  and  amazement  at  its  beetling  cliffs  and 
towering  domes.  But  this  route  at  best  was  a  rugged 
and  dangerous  one  to  both  man  and  beast,  and  as 
much  more  accessible  passes  were  soon  discovered 
through  the  mountains,  it  was  long  ago  abandoned, 
since  which  time  it  has  been  visited  only  by 
the  hunter  in  quest  of  game,  or  some  occasional 
adventurer  seeking  the  sublimities  of  nature  as  por- 
trayed in  these  vast  solitudes.  It  rises  in  the  form 
of  a  crescent,  with  its  concave  side  facing  the  set- 
ting sun,  and  has  an  altitude  of  about  eight  thousand 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  is  easy  of  access 
from  the  eastern  and  southern  sides,  sloping  up 
gradually,  terrace  after  terrace,  to  its  very  summit. 
Along  these  gradual  acclivities  the  melting  snows  of 
centuries  have  cut  deep  and  dark  crevices  and  cav- 
erns in  the  soft  limestone  rock,  into  some  of  which, 
if  a  stone  be  dropped,  its  faint  hollow  rumbling,  far 
beneath  your  feet,  tells  to  what  unknown  depth  they 
have  been  worn. 

"  But,  upon  reaching  the  top,  the  whole  seems 
changed,  for,  instead  of  a  gradual. descent,  the  trav- 
eler finds  himself  standing  upon  the  brow  of  a  per- 
pendicular escarpment,  varying  in  altitude  from  five 
hundred  to  one  thousand  feet,  and  extending  entirely 
around  the  mountain,  a  distance  of  more  than  three 
miles.  From  the  foot  of  this  cliff  there  is  a  steep 
and  rocky  declivity  for  a  short  distance,  when  you 
meet  with  a  second  perpendicular  precipice,  running 
parallel  with  the  one  above  it,  and  about  half  its 
altitude.  At  the  foot  of  this  second  cliff,  spreading 
out  with  a  comparatively  level  surface,  lies  a  beauti- 
ful and  fertile  valley,  adorned  and  beautified  with 
clusters  of  evergreens,  in  the  center  of  which  is  a 
picturesque  and  lovely  tarn,  within  whose  clear  and 


transparent  waters,  at  certain  hours  of  the  day,  can 
be  seen,  mirrored  in  all  their  strange  magnificence, 
the-  surrounding  cliffs  that  hem  it  in.  There  is  a 
feeling  of  awe  takes  possession  of  the  soul  as  you 
gaze  upward  at  these  vast  overhanging  walls.  It 
seems  as  though  nature  had  reared  this  silent  retreat 
where  men  should  never  intrude.  The  scene,  as 
viewed  from  the  summit,  is  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful and  grand  the  mind  can  picture.  Spread  out 
before  you,  like  a  map,  are  all  those  wild  and 
romantic  scenes  peculiar  to  mountainous  countries, 
which  so  charm  the  eye  and  enrap  the  soul  of  man. 
Craggy  heights,  towering  upward  from  amid  deep, 
dark  forests,  that  hang  like  shadows  ar-ound  their 
bases  and  sides  ;  lonely  and  unfrequented  lakes, 
hemmed  in  by  beetling  walls  of  rock ;  nameless  and 
untrodden  valleys,  where  the  deer,  bear,  and  elk  still 
roam  in  all  their  savage  freedom ;  and  wild  and  tur- 
bulent streams,  winding  downward  from  their  native 
tarns,  now  plunging  over  steep,  rocky  walls,  forming 
lofty  cascades,  whose  voices  awaken  the  echoes  far 
and  near,  and  again  winding,  in  solemn  murmurs, 
through  the  deep  recesses  of  the  mountains,  all  come 
within  a  single  sweep  of  the  vision.  Marble  mount- 
ain rises  the  colossal  figure  of  the  whole  scene,  with 
its  snow-white  domes  towering  upward  to  the  very 
clouds,  like  guardian  sentinels  over  the  surrounding 
country.  Long  after  the  shadows  of  twilight  have 
gathered  in  the  deep  ravines  and  dark  canons  below, 
the  sunlight  still  lingers  amid  these  elevated  spires, 
as  though  pausing  to  take  a  parting  glance  ere  its 
departure  on  its  journey  through  space.  Near  the 
northern  border  of  the  mountain  there  is  a  tremen- 
dous chasm  of  about  five  hundred  feet  in  depth  and 
one  thousand  feet  in  width,  known  by  the  Indian 
name  of  Ish-ne-quah-ish,  or,  tuhere  the  arrow  was 
shot.  It  appears  to  have  been  formed  by  the  rush 
of  mighty  waters,  that  have  long  ages  since  sub- 
sided, and  reaches  entirely  through  the  solid  wall 
of  rock,  thus  dividing  the  mountain,  as  it  were,  in 
twain." 

Mr.  Reynolds  relates  a  tradition  of  the  naming  of 
this  chasm,  by  the  natives,  on  account  of  a  most 
remarkable  feat  of  archery  performed  there  by 
Wahahshun,  one  of  their  mighty  ancestors. 

The  Indians  have  many  traditions  and  supersti- 
tions connected  with  the  mountain,  one  of  which, 
with  its  amusing  fulfillment,  he  related  to  the 
writer.  One  clay,  while  he  and  a  companion,  in 
company  with  a  band  of  Scott  valley  Indians,  were 
hunting  on  the  mountain,  where  they  had  been 
encamped  several  days,  they  wandered  to  the  top, 
and  the  young  man  began  rolling  rocks  over  the 
precipice  to  listen  to  their  rumbling  reverberations 
that  rolled  up  like  thunder  from  below.  The  brow 
of  the  chief  darkened  as  he  stood  with  folded  arms, 


38 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


and  watched  the  impious  act  of  the  reckless  young 
man.  Addressing  Reynolds,  he  said,  "  Me  no  like 
um  roll  um  rocks." 

"  Why  not  ?  "  asked  Reynolds  in  surprise. 

"  By  um  by  hi  you  rain.     You  make  um  stop." 

"  You  tell  him  to  stop.  He  won't  stop  for  me," 
was  the  answer. 

Advancing  to  where  the  young  man  was  just  pre- 
paring to  start  a  monster  stone,  the  chief  said,  "  You 
no  roll  um  rock." 

"  Well,  what's  the  matter  with  you  ? "  queried 
the  impious  reveler. 

"  You  roll  um  rock,  by  um  by  hi  you  rain.  Heep 
thunder,"  said  the  chief. 

"Oh,  get  out,"  was  the  answer,  as  the  huge  stone 
started  on  its  terrible  plunge,  rumbling  and  crash- 
ing down  the  mountain's  precipitous  side.  "That's 
all  the  thunder  you'll  hear.  I'll  roll  rocks  as  long 
as  I  please." 

The  cloud  on  the  chief's  brow  grew  darker,  as  he 
beckoned  to  his  followers  and  led  the  way  down  the 
mountain,  leaving  the  two  men  to  defy  the  Great 
Spirit  and  reap  the  consequences.  After  amusing 
themselves  till  tired,  they  started  leisurely  for  camp, 
and  then  noticed  for  the  first  time  that  the  sky  had 
suddenly  clouded  up,  and  immense  banks  of  black 
clouds,  those  dark  and  threatening  thunder-heads, 
were  rolling  rapidly  up  from  the  horizon.  They 
made  what  haste  they  could,  but  before  reaching 
camp  a  most  terrific  thunder-storm  broke  over  the 
mountain,  the  terrible  crash  of  heaven's  artillerj' 
shaking  the  very  mountain  itself  and  rolling  and 
rumbling  from  crag  to  crag  and  cliff  to  cliff,  till  it 
died  away  in  the  distance.  With  this  came  vivid 
and  blinding  flashes  of  lightning,  accompanied  by 
sheets  of  rain  that  drenched  them  to  the  skin.  It 
was  the  most  terrible  and  awe-inspiring  scene  they 
had  ever  witnessed,  and  when  they  sat  about  the 
warm  camp-fire,  di*ying  their  drenched  clothing, 
they  felt  half  constrained  to  agree  with  the  Indians 
that  sat  in  sullen  silence,  that  the  storm  was  sent 
by  the  Great  Spirit  to  testify  to  his  displeasure  at 
the  impious  act  of  the  young  man  in  rolling  the 
rocks  over  the  cliff,  and  thus  endeavoring  to  imitate 
in  their  rumbling  echoes  the  grandeur  and  power  of 
the  heavenly  thunder. 

To  give  a  description  of  all  the  points  of  pictur- 
esque grandeur  or  noble  beauty  would  be  to  write  a 
volume  devoted  to  that  alone,  and  those  given  above 
must  suffice. 

The  altitude  of  prominent  and  well-known  places 
in  Siskiyou  has  been  taken  by  different  persons  on 
various  occasions,  usually  by  means  of  a  barometer, 
varying  more  or  less  in  the  calculations  of  those 
making  the  observations.  The  following  table  of 
altitudes  is   given,   the   observations   having   been 


selected  that  appeared  the  most  reliable,  preference 
having  been  given  to  the  altitudes  recorded  by  the 
railroad  surveyors  whenever  they  conflict  with 
others.  The  altitude  of  Mount  Shasta  is  that  given 
by  Professor  Whitney.  The  others  were  most  all 
taken  by  Hon.  John  Daggett  and  Rev.  S.  A.  Red- 
ding. 

FEET. 

Mount  Shasta 14,440 

Strawberry  Valley 3,570 

Summit  near  Strawberry 3,939 

Hurst's  Mill 3,801 

Butteville  or  Edgewood 3,050 

Edson's  or  Gazelle 2,825 

Julien's  Ranch 2,500 

Base  of  Sheep  Rock 3,600 

Base  of  Table  Rock 3,025 

Summit  of  Table  Rock 3,606 

Goose  Nest 8,000 

Yreka 2,636 

Grizzly  Ridge,  just  east  of  Yreka 3,236 

Greenhorn  Butte,  just  west  of  Yreka 3,796 

Forest  House 3,150 

Greenhorn  Divide 4,257 

Forest  House  Divide 4,200 

Fort  Jones 2,875 

Crystal  Creek 2,950 

Etna 3,125 

Summit  Salmon  Mountains 6,200 

Sawyer's  Bar 1,900 

Klamath  Mill 3,500 

Klamath  Mine 4,500 

Black  Bear  Divide 4,500 

Black  Bear  Mill   2,750 

Elk  Valley  on  McLeod 3,751 

Summit  between  Elk  valley  and  Sheep  Rock  6,300 
Summit  between  Happy  Camp  and  Waldo, 

Oregon 5,434 

Summit  between  Callahan's  and  South  Fork 

of  Salmon   7,200 

Marble  Mountain 8,000 

Scott  Bar 

Callahan's 

Cottonwood 

Summit    Siskiyou  Mountain  on  the  stage 

road 

State  line  near  Cole's 

Klamath  Lake 

Capt  Jack's  Cave  in  Lava  Beds 

Summit  of  Scott  Mountain 

Oak  Bar 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


39 


Prominent  points  where  no  altitudes  have  been 
taken  are  left  blank,  and  also  spaces  for  other  points, 
which  may  be  written  in  by  those  who  may  hereaf- 
ter learn  them. 

The  following  table  of  distances  will  be  found 
both  interesting  and  valuable.  It  is  computed  from 
Yreka,  the  county  seat,  but  by  a  simple  arithmetical 
process  the  distance  between  an}'  two  points  in  the 
county,  by  the  usually  traveled  routes,  can  be  ascer- 
tained*.— 

YREKA   TO   REDDING,   VIA   SHASTA   VALLEY   AND 

SACRAMENTO   RIVER. 

MILES. 

Yreka  to  Starveout 12 

Edson's  (Gazelle) 18 

Butteville  (Edgewood) 25 

Strawberry  (Berryvale) 38 

Soda  Springs 46 

Castle  Rock 50 

Southern's 61 

Allen's 93 

Bass'  Station   103 

Redding 115 

YREKA  TO  REDDING,  VIA  SCOTT  AND  TRINITY 

VALLEYS. 

MILES. 

Yreka  to  Forest  House 5 

"         Fort  Jones 18 

Etna 30 

Callahan's 42 

Dodge's 54 

Davis' 61 

Trinity  Center 71 

French  Gulch 98 

Tower  House 101 

Shasta 113 

Redding 119 

Davis'  to  Cinnabar 12 

Trinity  Center  to  Weaverville 30 

Tower  House  to  Weaverville 31 

YREKA  TO  ROSEBURG,  OREGON. 

MILES. 

Yreka  to  Klamath  Ferry 14 

Cottonwood 17 

Cole's 25 

Baron's 38 

Ashland .' 45 

Amerman's 52 

Jacksonville 62 

Rock  Point 76 

Grant's  Pass 91 

Grave  Creek 106 

Levens' 121 

Canyonville 133 

Oak  Grove .  146 

Roseburg 160 


YREKA  TO  LINKVILLE  AND  FORT  KLAMATH. 

MILES. 

Yreka  to  Willow  Creek 12 

McClintock's 21 

Whittle's  Ferry 54 

Linkville 65 

Fort  Klamath 101 

YREKA  TO  OAK  BAR  AND  MOUTH  OF  SCOTT  RIVER, 

VIA  HUMBUG. 

MILES. 

Yreka  to  Hawkinsville 3 

"         French  town 9 

Forks  of  Humbug 10| 

Eliza  Mill 16 

Klamath  River 22 

Oak  Bar 28 

Mouth  of  Scott  River 36 

YREKA  TO  SCOTT  BAR,  HAPPY  CAMP,  AND    ORLEANS 
BAR,  VIA  GREENHORN  AND  MCADAMS  CREEK. 

MILES. 

Yreka  to  Greenhorn  Mill 6 

"         Cherry  Creek 8 

McAdams  Creek 14 

"         Fort  Jones 18 

"         Hooperville 23 

Scott  Bar 34 

"         Hamburg  Bar 40 

Grider's  Ferry 56 

Sciad  Po 60 

"         Happy  Camp 72 

Orleans  Bar 138 

YREKA  TO  ORO  FINO. 

MILES. 

Yreka  to  Fort  Jones 18 

Oro  Fino 25 

YREKA  TO  SALMON  RIVER,  VIA  ETNA. 

MILES. 

Yreka  to  Fort  Jones 18 

Etna 30 

"         Sawyer's  Bar 55 

Forks  of  Salmon 70 

Oliver's  Flat 75 

Somes'  Bar 90 

Black  Bear  Mine 62 

"         Yocumville 69 

Petersburg 83 

YREKA    TO   ALTURAS    VIA   LAVA   BEDS   AND    TICKNER 

ROAD. 

MILES. 

Yreka  to  Shasta  River 4| 

Terwilligers 12| 

McMurran's 16 

Cleland's  Mill 21i 

Bull's  Meadows 26i 

Ball's  Ranch 33| 

Butte  Creek  Mound 42i 


40 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


MILES. 

Yreka  to  Dorris  Cut-off 48 

"         Hole  in  the   Ground 52 

"         Darris  Ranch 56| 

Fairchilds'  Ranch 58J 

Willow  Creek  Crossing 63f 

"         Where  Road  leaves  Klamath  Lake  71J 

Bluff  at  Lava  Beds 81 

Hot  Springs 105 

Alturas 120 

YREKA  TO  ALTUKAS  VIA  SHEEP  ROCK. 

MILES. 

Yreka  to  Heard's  Ranch 20 

Burgettville 80 

Adin 115 

"         Alturas 155 

LIST  OF  POST-OFFICES. 

NAME.  POSTMASTER. 

Ball  (Butte  Creek) Edgar  Ball 

Berry  vale  (Strawberry  Valley)  .  .Mrs.  S.  J.  Fellows 

Black  Bear J.  A.  Little 

Bogus W.  K.  McClintock 

Callahan's  Ranch R.  M.  Hayden 

Cecil  ville 

Cottage  Grove 

Daggett 

Edge  wood  (Butteville) Joseph  Cavanaugh 

Etna  Mills  (Etna) • J.  M.  Single 

Forks  of  Salmon 

Fort  Jones H.  M.  Carlock 

Gazelle  (Edson's) Mrs.  H.  C.  Edson 

Hamburg  Bar Dan  Caldwell 

Henly  (Cottonwood) Thomas  Jones 

Klamath  Mill John  Daggett 

Lava  Bed J.  A.  Fairchilds 

McAdams J.  B.  Tonkin 

Mount  Shasta Thomas  McGrath 

Oak  Bar Frank  Smith 

Oro  Fino ; 

Sawyer's  Bar T.  L.  Wright 

Sciad  Valley 

Scott  River S.  Simon 

Shawmut 

Somes'  Bar 

Willow  Creek John  Cooley 

Yocumville 

Yreka A.  E.  Raynes 


METEOROLOGICAL. 
Siskiyou  county  is  drained  by  what  may  be 
called  the  northern  system  of  water  courses,  having 
for  its  outlet  into  the  ocean  the  great  Klamath 
river,  the  location  and  course  of  which,  with  its 
tributaries,  has  been  described  in  this  chapter.  The 
Klamath  river  drains  a  large  extent  of  territory,  and 


carries  a  volume  of  water  truly  wonderful.  Be- 
tween its  precipitous  banks  the  waters,  augmented 
by  the  winter's  storms,  rush  and  tumble  and  foam 
to  the  sea,  falling  ten  feet  to  the  mile,  and  furnish- 
ing water-power  enough  to  turn  every  factory 
wheel  in  the  world.  Through  this  outlet  passes  all 
the  water  that  falls  in  Upper  California,  enough, 
could  it  be  pent  up,  to  make  a  lake  of  vast  volume 
and  extent.  When  a  heavy  rain  continues  for  sev- 
eral da}'s  without  abating,  the  streams  are  'unable 
to  carry  the  water  that  runs  so  rapidly  down  the 
mountains  into  the  valleys  and  canons.  The  creeks 
and  rivers  overflow  their  banks  and  mountain  tor- 
rents rush  through  gulch  and  canon,  to  collect  and 
form  a  lake  in  every  valley  towards  which  they 
run.  The  same  is  true  when  a  warm  rain  brings 
down  the  melted  snoAV  from  the  mountains  faster 
than  the  rivers  can  carry  it  awaj^.  These  floods 
now  do  considerable  damage  to  the  crops  and  farms 
in  the  valleys  and  to  mining  claims  along  the  rivers; 
but  previous  to  the  advent  of  white  men,  there 
being  no  improvements  of  this  character  to  suffer,  it 
was  these  floods  that  by  their  alluvial  deposits  fer- 
tilized and;  prepared  these  valleys  for  the  plow. 

The  rain-fall  in  this  region  is  not  so  great  as  on 
the  southern  slope  of  the  Sacramento  and  Trinity 
mountains  or  in  the  foot-hills  of  the  Sierra,  but  on 
the  mountains  the  snow  falls  to  the  depth  of  from 
five  to  twenty  feet,  and  sometimes  impedes  travel  or 
stops  it  entirely  for  several  days.  More  especially 
was  this  the  case  before  the  roads  were  built,  and 
the  rugged  and  dangerous  pack-trail  was  all  the  peo- 
ple had  to  depend  upon.  Early  in  1851,  though  as 
a  whole  the  season  was  an  unusually  dry  one,  the 
severe  storms  so  blocked  the  mountains  with  drifts 
of  snow,  that  travel  for  a  time  was  impossible,  and 
the  thousands  that  had  gathered  on  Salmon  river 
nearly  perished  for  want  of  food. 

Great  suffering  has  been  endured  by  those  caught 
in  the  mountains  by  the  snows  of  winter,  and  many 
have  perished  amid  the  bleak  forests,  far  from  help 
or  friends.  In  November,  1858,  Rev.  J.  A.  Brooks 
thus  perished  in  the  Salmon  mountains,  his  body 
being  found  and  conveyed  to  Crystal  Creek,  where 
funeral  services,  attended  by  crowds  of  sorrowing 
friends,  were  held  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
Men  have  wandered  for  days  before  reaching  a  shel- 
tering roof  or  have  lain  down  in  despair  and  died, 
the  snow  rapidly  sifting  a  white  cover  for  their 
freezing  limbs.  A  few  years  ago  the  driver  of  the 
stage  in  Shasta  valley  lost  his  way  one  stormy 
night  and  drove  in  all  directions  until  morning, 
when  he  found  himself  but  seven  miles  from  where 
he  had  started  the  night  before.  The  snow  had 
obliterated  all  traces  of  the  road  and  so  changed  the 
appearance  of  the  hills  and  all  landmarks  that  he 


O.  V.  GREEN. 


MRS.  0.  V.  GREEN. 


ORSON  VALENTINE  GREEN 

Is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  five  children,  sons 
and  daughters  of  Horace  P.  and  Orinda  (Farmer) 
Green,  of  Otsego  county,  New  York.  His  parents 
moved  to  Oswego  county  in  an  early  day,  and  he 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Hannibal,  on  the  fourteenth 
day  of  February,  1832,  hence  the  name  of  Valen- 
tine. After  his  mother's  death,  and  when  about  ten 
years  of  age,  he  removed  with  his  father  to  Boone 
county,  Illinois.  Here  he  continued  to  live,  except 
one  year  spent  in  his  native  State,  working  out 
and  doing  for  himself  as  best  he  could,  until  1852, 
when  he  started  to  cross  the  plains  to  California, 
coming  by  way  of  the  northern  route.  Late  in  the 
month  of  September  they  arrived  at  Yreka.  For 
about  one  year  he  was  in  the  mines;  then  engaged 
on  a  farm,  working  for  John  McKee,  on  the  place 
now  owned  by  Peter  Smith.  In  a  short  time  he 
located  the  place  now  owned  by  Manuel  Brown,  on 
French  creek.  In  1859  disposed  of  it  and  returned 
to  his  native  State.  He  was  married  at  Bonus, 
Boone  county,  Illinois,  May  16,  1861,  to  Miss  Abbie 
A.  Jones,  daughter  of  Joseph  W.  and  Atlanta  Jones, 
of  Quartz  valley,  Siskiyou  county,  California.  In 
1863  they  again  crossed  the  plains,  with  a  drove  of 
horses,  leaving  the  East  on  the  twelfth  day  of  April 
and  arriving  in  Scott  valley  on  the  twelfth  of 
August.     He  then  purchased  the  place  on  which  he 


now  resides,  one  of  the  earliest  locations  in  the 
valley,  and  the  first  where  a  white  woman  resided. 
It  was  located  by  the  Rev.  D.  H.  Lowry  for  a  dairy 
farm,  and  has  been  used  as  such  continuously.  Mr. 
Green  now  keeps  about  seventy-five  cows,  from 
which  he  annually  makes  from  eight  to  twelve 
thousand  pounds  of  butter.  The  family  consists  of 
three  children,  viz. :  Angie  A.,  born  in  the  town  of 
Bonus,  Boone  county,  Illinois,  March  24,  1862; 
Charles  H.,  born  at  Oro  Fino,  Siskiyou  county,  Cal- 
ifornia, September  12,  1863,  and  Horace  William, 
born  at  the  present  home  on  Crystal  creek,  June  23, 
1871.  The  two  eldest  are  being  educated  at  Napa 
College.  In  politics  Mr.  Green  is  a  Republican;  in 
religion,  a  Protestant.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows  fraternities  at  Etna,  at 
which  place  he  and  his  wife  belong  to  the  Eastern 
Star. 

Mr.  Green  has  not  escaped  the  trials  incident  to 
the  life  of  an  early  Californian.  In  1853,  after 
recovering  from  a  tedious  illness,  he  found  himself 
not  only  penniless,  but  was  one  hundred  dollars  in 
debt.  Success  has  rewarded  his  persistent  efforts 
and  he  now  ranks  as  one  of  the  rich  men  of  Scott 
valley.  Their  home,  situated  on  the  bank  of  Crystal 
creek,  near  Etna,  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  in 
the  valley.  Water  of  the  purest  kind  is  conducted 
from  the  mountains  in  a  flume  for  use  in  the  house 
and  dairy. 


■iMiMi' 


if  fTT*  iv     - 

.3jB  *tf*k  l«v 


WMf  lis® *    ; 


^  1  ^   ■ 


'thgipi. 


^Karaas 


|  Iff  '  V 


ftT-'Mj ,! 


in 

bJ 

a: 
u 


5s 

Z  o 
UJ  > 

LU  i 
tt     'J! 

IP  n 

.  * 

>  z 

.  t- 

o  u 

U.  a 
°x 
X  a: 

<  » 


> 


I 


'  <# 


•  :^!ir8i"^' 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


41 


could  distinguish  nothing,  and  so  drove  on  and  on 
to  keep  himself  and  animals  from  freezing. 

Snow-shoes  are  used  quite  extensively  for  mount- 
ain travel  in  the  winter,  especially  in  crossing  the 
Salmon  mountains  with  the  mail,  between  Etna  and 
Sawyer's  Bar.  These  implements  are  of  two  kinds, 
the  Indian  and  the  Norwegian.  The  former  is  an 
egg-shaped  hoop,  filled  with  a  network  of  threads. 
When  it  is  placed  upon  the  foot  the  wearer  has  his 
weight  distributed  over  a  large  surface,  but  has  to 
walk  in  order  to  make  any  progression.  The  Nor- 
wegian snow-shoe,  or,  rather,  snow-skate,  is  excel- 
lently well  adapted  to  locomotion  on  the  frozen  crust 
of  the  snow.  It  consists  of  a  bar,  shaped  like  the 
runner  of  a  sled,  six  to  ten  feet  long,  four  inches 
wide,  two  inches  thick  in  the  middle,  and  grooved 
underneath.  The  foot  is  strapped  upon  the  middle  of 
the  shoe,  and,  with  a  long  pole  in  his  hand  by  which 
to  steer,  the  skater  shoots  down  the  hills  like  a 
rocket.  Climbing  the  hills,  by  the  aid  of  his  pole, 
is  not  so  easy,  but  still,  is  rapidly  done  by  an  expe- 
rienced skater.  The  skill  displayed  in  the  Scandina- 
vian mountains  by  the  originators  of  these  wooden 
skates  is  marvelous  in  the  extreme,  and,  for  -many 
months  in  the  year,  all  travel  among  the  icy  bergs 
is  done  on  the  swiftly-gliding  skate,  and  many  a 
legend  and  tradition  hangs  about  the  precipitous 
mountain  passes.  One  of  these  relates  the  bold  feat 
of  a  Norseman,  who  was  captured  by  a  band  of 
Swedes  on  their  way  to  make  a  raid  into  some  mount- 
ain village  of  his  countrymen,  and  compelled  to  act 
as  a  guide  through  the  dangerous  mountain  defiles. 
He  conducted  them  safely  until  he  came  to  a  place 
where  the  trail  turned  sharply  around  the  face  of  a 
cliff  but  a  few  feet  from  the  verge  of  a  yawning 
chasm.  Yelling  to  his  captors  to  come  on,  he  shot 
like  an  arrow  down  the  descent  that  led  to  this  dan- 
gerous pass,  and  then  turned  sharply  to  one  side, 
around  the  cliff,  while  those  behind,  unaware  of  the 
precipice  until  right  at  its  verge,  and  unable  either  to 
stop  or  turn,  plunged,  one  after  the  other,  over  its 
slippery  side  and  were  dashed  to  pieces  on  the  rocks 
and  ice  below. 

The  earliest  information  we  have  of  a  flood  exists 
in  the  traditions  of  the  savages,  who  say  that  years 
ago  there  was  a  terrible  flood  in  which  thousands  of 
natives  lost  their  lives,  and  hundreds  of  rancherias 
on  the  banks  of  rivers  were  washed  away  and 
destroyed.  It  is  an  era  in  theii\history  from  which 
they  date  events  in  the  Sacramento  valley,  and 
occurred  in  the  beginning  of  the  present  century, 
about  the  year  1805.  The  annals  of  the  •  Hudson 
Bay  Company  also  show  that  the  year  1818  was 
one  of  excessive  storms  and  tremendous  floods.  The 
winter  of  1826-27,  when  Jedediah  S.  Smith  passed 
through  California  with    his    trapping    party,   the 

6 


water  rose  so  high  in  the  Sacramento  valley  that 
he  was  driven  to  the  Marysville  buttes  for  a  camp- 
ing place,  which  he  found  teeming  with  elk,  ante- 
lope and  bear  that  had  like  him  taken,  refuge  there. 

The  winter  of  1852-53  was  a  disastrous  one 
throughout  the  whole  State.  The  great  Sacramento 
valley  was  one  great  sea  of  water,  and  great  damage 
was  done  to  the  cities,  and  all  improvements  such  as 
mining  appliances,  bridges,  mills,  etc.  In  Siskiyou 
county  the  floods,  of  which  there  were  four  during 
the  season,  swept  the  rivers  clear  of  all  mining 
improvements;  wing-dams  were  carried  away  and 
drift  claims  were  filled  up  and  caved  in.  The  few 
bridges  that  had  then  been  built  were  carried  down 
the  streams,  Yreka  and  Scott  Bar  were  flooded  and 
greatly  damaged,  while  the  valleys  were  full  of 
water,  doing  less  damage  than  later  floods  simply 
because  there  was  less  to  be  injured.  The  snow  on 
the  mountains  and  the  mud  and  water  in  the  valleys 
rendered  communication  with  the  outside  world 
almost  impossible.  Provisions  were  scarce,  and 
became  more  so  before  a  pack-train  could  be  brought 
in  here  with  a  new  supply.  Three  dollars  a  pound 
for  flour,  one  dollar  per  ounce  for  salt  and  a  dollar 
each  for  eggs  were  prices  that  prevailed  for  a  few 
weeks.  Since  that  time  no  flood  has  been  able  to 
create  a  stringency  in  the  market  on  account  of  the 
quantity  of  breadstuffs  raised  in  the  valleys  at  our 
very  doors.  For  a  few  days  communication  may 
be  shut  off  and  butter,  eggs  and  such  articles  become 
scarce,  but  no  suffering  ensues. 

The  winter  of  1861-62  was  one  that  will  long  be 
remembered  in  California,  for  its  devastating  floods, 
that  came  pouring  down  from  the  mountains, 
sweeping  everything  before  them  and  leaving  ruin, 
and  desolation  in  their  pathway.  The  cities  of 
Marysville,  Sacramento,  and  Stockton,  as  well  as 
dozens  of  towns  lying  in  the  great  valley,  were 
inundated,  and  suffered  great  loss  of  life  and  prop- 
erty. The  whole  valley  was  flooded  and  covered  by 
a  great  inland  sea  miles  in  extent.  Houses,  barns, 
fences  and  all  kinds  of  objects  went  whirling  down 
on  the  bosom  of  the  torrent,  and  hundreds  of 
animals  mingled  their  piteous  cries  with  the  roar  of 
the  angry  waters  that  had  engulfed  them  and  were 
rapidly  bearing  them  away  to  destruction.  Every 
river  seemed  bent  upon  adding  its  quota  to  the 
great  sum  of  damage,  and  when  spring  set  in, 
scarcely  a  bridge  of  any  importance  in  the  State 
remained  to  boast  of  successful  battle  with  the  foe. 

The  month  of  November,  1861,  was  a  very  rainy 
one,  and  the  last  two  weeks  witnessed  a  steady  and 
constant  rain  that  filled  the  creeks  and  rivers  to 
their  fullest  capacity.  On  Saturday,  the  last  day 
of  the  month,  it  seemed  as  if  the  heavens  opened  and 
dropped  their  imprisoned  waters  in  torrents   upon 


42 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


the  land.  The  streams  were  unable  to  carry  off 
these  last  contributions  of  nature,  and  overflowed 
their  banks,  flooding  all  the  flats  and  lowlands  along 
their  course.  Streams  ran  down  every  little  mount- 
ain gully  and  added  their  mite  to  the  little  lakes 
that  rapidly  formed  wherever  the  water  could  find 
a  resting-place.  Early  in  the  morning  Yreka  creek 
overflowed  its  banks  and  a  torrent  of  water  came 
rushing  down  Main  street.  The  bridge  was  carried 
away,  and  the  whole  lower  portion  of  the  city  was 
under  water;  gardens  and  cellars  were  flooded,  and 
everything  floatable  went  whirling  down  the  rush- 
ing stream.  Shasta  and  Scott  rivers  overflowed 
their  banks  and  flooded  large  tracts  of  land,  doing 
great  damage  to  the  farms,  and  destroying  great 
quantities  of  hay  and  grain.  Scott  valley  was  one 
vast  sea,  upon  whose  bosom  floated  the  debris  from 
a  hundred  farms.  Many  bridges  were  carried  away, 
the  roads  were  badly  cut  up,  and  travel  was  inter- 
rupted for  several  days.  Ditches  were  washed  out, 
and  great  damage  was  done  to  mining  claims  all 
along  the  streams.  Klamath  river  was  a  raging 
torrent,  the  angry  waters  lashing  the  sides  of  their 
rocky  prison  and  beating  themselves  into  foam  in 
their  frenzy.  The  storm  abated  at  night,  and  Sun- 
day the  water  began  gradually  to  subside,  but  not 
until  the  next  day  was  there  any  great  reduction  of 
its  volume,  so  that  communication  was  fully  estab- 
lished from  point  to  point. 

This  was,  however,  but  the  first  effort  of  a  mighty 
power,  for  by  the  next  Saturday  the  rains  had  again 
raised  the  water  as  high  as  before,  and  that  evening 
"  the  rain  descended  and  the  floods  came."  Little 
rivulets  ran  down  the  mountain  sides,  too  impatient 
to  seek  their  accustomed-  channels;  streams  ran 
where  never  streams  ran  before,  lakes  appeared  in 
strange  and  unfamiliar  places;  creeks  became  rivers, 
while  rivers  increased  to  mighty  streams,  all  filled 
with  rushing,  roaring,  leaping  waters,  rolling  impet- 
uously towards  the  sea.  Yreka  creek,  that  little 
stream  that  in  summer  scarce  floated  a  feather,  was 
now  a  swiftly  rolling  river  three  hundred  feet  wide. 
All  day  Sunday  men  labored  to  divert  the  stream 
from  the  town,  with  little  effect.  Gardens  were 
sluiced  out,  cellars  were  flooded,  and  buildings  were 
undermined  and  borne  away  or  overturned.  At 
Fort  Jones  the  river  carried  away  everything  in  its 
path,  including  several  buildings,  while  at  Etna  the 
saw-mill  went  down  the  stream  and  the  water-wheel 
of  the  flour-mill  was  also  borne  away.  The  water 
of  Indian  creek  forced  its  way  through  Hooperville, 
causing  many  to  abandon  their  houses  and  flee  for 
safety,  while  nearly  every  vestige  of  mining  opera- 
tions was  obliterated. 

McAdams  creek  conquered  everything  but  the 
Steamboat  claim,   and,   shifting   its   channel,    went 


tearing  through  the  town  of  Harclscrabble,  at  least 
ten  feet  deep.  The  large  bridge  across  the  Klamath 
at  Cottonwood  was  carried  away,  and  the  wire 
bridge  spanning  the  same  stream  near  the  mouth  of 
Salmon  river,  and  ninety  feet  high,  although  under 
water,  resisted  nobly  until  the  logs  and  driftwood 
brought  down  by  the  flood  overcame  it,  and  it  went 
the  way  of  all  bridges.  On  Salmon  river  every 
dam,  bridge,  mill,  and  flume  was  washed  away  or 
badly  damaged,  the  loss  from  Sawyer's  Bar  to  the 
Klamath  being  estimated  at  ninety  thousand  dollars. 
Every  bridge  and  dam  on  Scott  and  Shasta  rivers 
that  had  withstood  the  first  flood  succumbed  to  the 
resistless  power  of  the  second  one. 

The  loss  in  hay,  grain,  stock,  mining  claims, 
ditches,  bridges,  buildings,  etc.,  was  enormous.  The 
miners  watched  the  waters  fill  up  and  cave  in 
claims  that  had  been  drifted  by  years  of  patient 
toil,  and  saw  the  dams  they  had  constructed  by 
hard  labor  and  great  expense  demolished  in  an 
hour.  Farmers  saw  the  products  of  their  toil  dis- 
solve and  melt  away  before  the  conquering  advance 
of  the  destroyer,  and  heard  the  piteous  cries  of  their 
helpless  cattle  as  the  flood  seized  upon  them  and 
bore  them  rapidly  downward.  Lumbermen  who 
had  used  the  streams  to  float  logs  down  to  their 
mills,  witnessed  the  same  streams  float  the  mills 
down  also.  Everything  was  afloat,  and  when  the 
waters  again  found  their  natural  channels,  they  left 
objects  of  every  conceivable  description  stranded 
and  wrecked  all  over  the  country. 

Copious  as  had  been  the  rain,  nature  had  not  yet 
exhausted  her  supply  of  water,  and  rallied  two 
weeks  later  for  another  and  final  effort.  On  Sun- 
day, the  twenty-second  of  December,  another  freshet 
swept  away  what  little  had  been  left  by  its  prede- 
cessors, and  made  the  universal  ruin  complete. 

After  three  weeks  of  snow  and  rain,  a  freshet, 
nearly  as  great  as  that  of  1861,  occurred  on  Wednes- 
day, the  seventh  of  December,  1864,  but  doing  little 
damage.  On  Saturday,  December  twenty-fourth, 
a  severe  storm  commenced  and  continued  until  Mon- 
day, at  which  time  the  streams  contained  nearly  as 
much  water  as  in  the  memorable  flood  of  1861.  In 
Scott  valley  the  water  covered  all  but  the  high 
places,  and  no  stages  passed  through  for  two  days. 
The  damage  was  slight,  compared  to  that  of  the 
great  flood. 

Again  in  December,  1875,  there  was  another 
season  of  extremely  high  water,  that  interrupted 
and  impeded  travel,  but  little  damage  being  inflicted, 
however. 

The  season  j  ust  passed  was  in  its  way  a  remark- 
able one.  No  rain  fell  until  November,  and  then 
but  sixteen  one-hundredths  of  an  inch,  followed  in 
December  by  less  than  three  inches.     So  little  rain 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


43 


had  fallen  that  every  one  was  anticipating  a  dry 
season  and  bemoaning  the  short  crop  and  hard 
times  that  would  be  sure  to  follow.  A  change  took 
place  in  January,  and  for  a  week  the  rain  poured 
down  in  blinding  torrents,  and  the  scenes  of  1861 
were  repeated.  On  the  fourteenth  the  Klamath 
river  was  as  high  as  in  1861  and  the  water  covered 
the  valleys,  poured  down  the  creeks  and  rivers,  and 
placed  an  embargo  on  travel  for  a  few  days.  The 
Shasta  river  bridge  below  Hawkinsville  was  washed 
away,  and  the  one  at  Fiock's,  under  water  and 
impassable.  The  two  bridges  at  Callahan's  were 
swept  down  Scott  river,  leaving  that  place  cut  off 
from  the  outside  world.  Great  damage  was  clone 
to  farms,  in  the  destruction  of  fences,  the  covering 
up  or  washing  away  of  valuable  land  and  fine 
pasturage,  the  destruction  of  private  roads  and 
bridges.  Mining  claims  on  the  rivers  and  creeks 
were  filled  up,  and  machinery,  dams,  etc.,  carried 
away,  inflicting  a  great  loss  upon  the  mining  indus- 
try. Several  saw-mills  lost  their  water-wheels,  and 
sustained  other  damage  in  the  floating  away  of  logs 
and  other  property.  After  an  interval  of  about  ten 
days  the  storm  again  set  in  on  the  twenty-sixth  of 
January  and  continued  for  two  weeks,  the  water 
again  rising  higher  than  before;  travel  was  inter- 
rupted all  over  the  county,  and  for  nearly  three 
weeks  no  through  mail  came  up  from  below.  The 
snow  on  the  mountains  and  the  water  in  the  valley 
kept  the  roads  in  such  a  condition  the  stage  com- 
pany wore  unable  for  many  days  to  do  more  than 
run  a  stage  here  and  there  between  accessible  points. 
The  bridge  at  the  mouth  of  Scott  river,  a  new  one 
built  by  subscription,  was  also  numbered  with  the 
missing.  The  damage  was  great,  and  the  annoy- 
ance and  inconvenience  still  greater,  especially  in 
Yreka  and  Fort  Jones,  where  the  citizens  worked 
hour  alter  hour  to  divert  the  water  that  came  pour- 
ing into  town  into  channels  where  it  would  do  as 
little  damage  as  possible.  The  rain-fall  for  January 
was  over  fourteen  inches,  being  about  five  inches  in 
excess  of  the  same  month  in  1862,  but  the  heavy  rains 
of  December,  1861,  that  preceded  the  January  flood  of 
that  season,  found  no  counterpart  in  this,  so  that  the 
quantity  of  water  was  this  year  much  less  than  at 
that  time.  However,  there  was  enough  and  to  spare. 
The  annexed  table  of  rain-fall  commences  in 
August,  1859,  and  was  kept  from  that  date  by 
Isaac  Titcomb.  The  first  three  months  the  gauge 
was  kept  at  the  mouth  of  Scott  river,  and  from  that 
time  till  October,  1877,  on  Rattlesnake  creek,  a 
branch  of  Patterson  creek  in  Scott  valley,  twenty- 
two  miles  from  Yreka  and  three  thousand  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea.  Since  October.  1877,  the  table 
is  made  up  from  the  official  records  kept  by  C.  H. 
Pyle,  at  Yerka,  for  the  United  States  Signal  Service. 


hi 
hi 

< 

ft 
i 

H 

< 

ft 
o 

ft 
hi 

ft 
< 

Eh 


oo 

00 


O 

h 

01 

oo 


o 

K 
fq 

W 

H 

a 
o 

K 
H 
> 
< 

Q 

< 

w 

ri 
< 

h 

o 

w 

h 


K 

h 

y, 
o 


o 
< 

O 


Average. 


1879-SO- 


1878-79. 


1877-78. 


1876-77. 


Partial  for 
1880-81. 


Total.. 


1875-76. 


1874-75. 


1873-74. 


1872-73. 


1871-72. 


1870-71. 


1869-70. 
1868-69. 


1867-68. 


1866-67. 


1865-66 


1864-65 


1863-64. 


1862-63 


1861-62. 


1800.61 


1859-60. 


= 
o 


(OrtOO) 
HOJNN 


omo^hhmommhn 

OOhiOOhNHN-fNrt 


-*  t-  t-  CM  CO  CO  H 


•* 


Ht-^tOH 


OHTftOOHMl-NM 
OOOOOQNOJHH 

r-i         CO  CO  id  CM  r-i  T— I  r-i 


COOOOiOCOCOOOrJlCOCD 

ni|ai^ooi3i>HHq 

'  H  ffl  W  H  CO  ri       '  r-i 


i  oo  h  us  eq  m  ii  t|i  ■*  h 

lOiOt-HOCOCOiO 
'  CM  r-i  C5  CM       '  T-i 


O  O  ID  lO  M-  CO  O)  O  H  ri 
OTfNCOHOTtOOt-iOCO 

"  r-i  no  cm'     '     '  cm 


^CSNO-*NOOOt((0 
N^HNOb-HlOlOOiOM 

'  o-i  «  io  r-i  oi  c-i  co 


OOCO^COCOCOQHOiO-tiO 

Hcoo«roo^iOT|iooTjiN 

'  CO  ■*  -*  CNl  CM  r-i 


!DlO-*C!O'*NCI)00'*OO 
t-  CB  t>  OO  ^  m  CM  t-  CO  CS  O-l  CM 

coc6aJoco'-*CM''#r-it^GiirJ 

r-HJt-OOOlCCSiriCOl— I 


i— I   ■*  ■*  !D  rl  CO  r I  H  Ol  CO  O  CO 
Ol  O  CO  •*  Ol  Ol  Oj  ■*  O  O  H  CM 


•ci 

r: 
o 
o 
to 

•if 

OS 
CM 


M  O  H  n  'O  CO  CO  CO  OUO  h  C>1 
lC3COb;^-j<OiC5CO[-Q^t 
H        '  CM'  t-I  Tj<  r-i  r-i 


OlHCOCMCOOJOHTfCOt-H  I   -rj< 

qq^HooiNOiocooco  cm 

'  -*'    r-i   t>   ^'  CO        '  CM 
I  CM 


1IC5        .1!~jt-<COi— ICOrJlr- <OiCO^t<|^JH 

O      iTjcOnNMQNriHM       o 


I  co 


OS        ilOCOCOCOl—  OllQlQCNOO 
O  lOCOrjHHrlt-COt-HCO 


rHr-'cot-oocooimot-coco 

0-*i— ISOCOCOOOIOIMOO 


t-iONceoo-to^oMH 

COOCOCOHa-rfCOCMOO 


H  M  C  O  CO  t-  Ol  f  If)  O  lO 

OOOinX^CDNONCO 


OC-OCOlClOiCCoOllClOOOl 
iDOOOCOt-lOMHt-OlSCO 


2    a    y. 


►>} 


l       Sri       l       S 

M-g  $  >  § 

2    ST  O    O    03 


r<     *     „ 

s  t->  9  ~  •>. 


OC frHOCOCiOlOiHCOr-    IC5 

OCOlO!>rJ^COCDlOb»HO        CO 
'  r-i  -*  CO  r-i  CO  r-i 


CM 
CM 


CO  O  t-  O  CO  CO  O)  H  N  CS  CO     I  OS 

qot^oor-HMcoiocoH     cm_ 

OJ  lO  H  ri  CO*  ri       '  00 


01  10  co  co  h  m  o  o  ci  01  oi  o 
OHcot-oiLOiooiqt^coio 

H  H  O  H  CD  CO  C^  T— I 


CO 


CO^HOlCJNOOOliCSiffliCJ 

coocoot-co-*cocoqt-co 

'  CD  CM  T-i  CM   r-i 


1  in 

I  co 

t- 

CO 

CM 

— 

CO 


' 


CMiCCjCMOiOlOiCCoOOCOiO 
Or<HOt-t-ilO-*CBN 

'  r-H  Tf  r-i  CM  CM  rS 


HOWOOMOOOO 

lOiDcooit-raqqcor; 

r-i  O  OS  CO  r-i  CM  T-i 


CD 
I  CM 


•-■. 


<  m  o  £  ft  v%  f*  S!  <  P  £  £ 


44 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


Compare  the  following  tables  to  get  an  idea  of  the 
comparative  rain-fall  here  and  in  Sacramento. 

SACRAMENTO.  SISKIYOU. 

1849-50 36.00 

1850-51 4.71 

1851-52 17.98 

1852-53 36.36 

1853-54 20.06 

1854-55 18.62 

1855-56 14.75 

1856-57 10.42 

1857-58 18.95 

1858-59... 16.00 

1859-60 22.59 20.19 

1860-61 15.52 20.65 

1861-62 35.52 40.96 

1862-63 11.55 15.72 

1863-64 7.83 15.60 

1864-65 22,48 26.77 

1865-66 17.40 35.65 

1866-67 25.28 28.38 

1867-68 32.73 23.61 

1868-69 16.62 18.29 

1869-70 13.56 19.87 

1870-71 8.44 13.91 

1871-72 25.02 13.84 

1872-73 14.19 21.39 

1873-74 21.88 13.09 

1874-75 17.63 31.04 

1875-76 25.27 18.90 

1876-77 9.39 22.24 

1877-78- ■  •■ 21.30 16.23 

1878-79 .....16.77 21.29 


CHAPTER    VII. 

EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THIS  REGION. 

It  is  but  little  more  than  fifty  years  since  the  first 
white  foot  pressed  the  soil  of  Siskiyou  county  and 
left  any  record  of  its  visit.  Whether  at  any  time 
before  that  the  eye  of  a  white  man  ever  gazed  upon 
its  lofty  hills  and  grass-carpeted  valleys  is  unknown, 
but  extremely  improbable.  Up  to  that  time  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company  had  not  penetrated  so  far 
south,  nor  had  the  American  trappers  yet  been  so 
far  to  the  west.  This  mountain  region  was  then  in 
the  state  of  nature,  abounding  with  deer,  antelope 
and  bear,  the  home  of  the  simple  natives,  whose  eyes 
had  never  rested  upon  the  face  of  a  white  man,  and 
whose  ears  had  never  heard  of  a  pale-face  race,  save 
in  a  tradition  some  of  them  have  of  a  band  of  men 
with  fairer  skins  that  suddenly  appeared  many, 
many  long  years  ago  on  the  coast,  and  supposed  to 
have  been  one  of  the  early  exploring  parties  that 
sailed  up  the  coast. 

In  chapter  IV  the  journey  of  Jedediah  S.  Smith 
and  his  band  of  trappers,  from  the  Sacramento  river 
to  Oregon,  along  the  coast,  is  related;  also  their 
defeat  and  almost  entire  destruction  by  the  savages 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Umpqua  river,  and  the  subse- 


quent punishment  of  the  offenders  by  a  party  of 
Hudson  Bay  Company  men;  also  of  the  continuance 
of  this  party  under  Alexander  Roderick  McLeod 
over  the  same  route  into  the  Sacramento  valley, 
their  ascent  into  the  mountains  along  the  Sacramento 
river,  and  their  terrible  experience  with  the  snow  on 
the  banks  of  the  McLeod  in  the  winter  of  1827. 
The  members  of  that  party  are  the  first  white  men 
known  to  have  been  within  the  limits  of  Siskiyou 
county.  When  they  cache'd  their  traps  and  furs 
and  made  their  way  back  to  Vancouver,  the  route 
they  traveled  is  not  known.  They  may  have  gone 
back  to  the  Sacramento  valley  and  returned  the 
way  they  came,  or  they  may  have  gone  up  Pit  river 
or  came  over  the  mountains  and  passed  through 
Shasta  valley.  At  all  events  it  was  but  a  few  years 
before  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  in  passing  back- 
wards and  forwards  from  Vancouver  to  California, 
traversed  nearly  the  same  route  now  pursued  by  the 
stage  road  on  the  Sacramento  River  route,  and  a  well 
defined  trail  was  soon  made.  This  trail  crossed  the 
Sacramento  river  three  times,  passed  through  Straw- 
berry valley,  down  the  Shasta  valley,  across  the 
Klamath  about  one-half  mile  above  Bell's  ferry, 
and  over  the  Siskiyou  mountain  a  short  distance  east 
of  the  present  route  of  travel. 

The  pioneers  of  the  county  who  prospected  it  from 
one  end  to  the  other  in  1850  and  1851,  will  remem-  j 
ber  the  anxiety  the  Indians  displayed  to  know  if 
they  were  "Maki  men,"  and  how  they  assured  them 
they    were,  when    they   ascertained    that   to   be    a 
"Maki  man"  was  to  be  looked  upon  with  great  favor. 
The    explanation    of    this   is    easy.      A    Scotchman 
named  Thomas  McKay  (pronounced  by  the   Scots 
Maki)  was  one  of  the  head  trappers  of  the  Hudson ' 
Bay   Company,  and  for  a  number  of  years  led  trap- 
ping parties  through  this  region.     He  was  just  and 
even  generous  to  the  natives,  and  they  took  a  great 
fancy  to  him.     It  was  his  son,  Donald  McKay,  who 
led  the   Warm  Spring   Indians  in  the   late  Modoc 
war.     There  is  now   living  in  the   county  an  old 
trapper  who  came  through  this  region  with  a  band 
of  trappers  led  by  this  same  McKay  in  1836.     They 
crossed  the  Klamath  on  the  old  trail,  came  up  Yreka 
creek  and  over  to  Scott  valley  by  the  way  of  Green- 
horn   and    McAclams    creeks.       They    remained    a 
month  in  the  valley,  trapping  Scott  river  on  both 
forks,  getting  eighteen  hundred  beaver.     "The  rich- 
est place  for  beaver  I  ever  saw,"  said  Meek  to  the 
writer.     The  valley  was  all  one  swamp,  caused  by 
the  beaver-dams,  and  full  of  huts.     The  party  then 
crossed  over  to  Shasta  Butte,  and  followed  the  Sac- 
ramento down  to  the  valley  and  on  to  Yerba  Buena 
(San  Francisco),  where  they  left  their  furs  with  the 
agent  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company.     On  their  way 
back   they  trapped  the  American,   Yuba,  Feather, 
Sacramento,   Pit,    McLeod   and   Shasta  rivers,   and 
then  returned  over  the  trail  to  Vancouver. 

The  settlement  of  many  of  the  American  trappers 
in  the  Willamette  valley  (pronounced  by  them  at 
that  time  Wallamette)  has  been  mentioned.  A 
number  of  these  gentlemen  formed,  in  January,  1837, 
the  "Wallamette  Cattle  Company,"  for  the  purpose 
of  buying  a  large  band  of  cattle  at  the  mission  set- 
tlements in  California  and  driving  them  up  the  Sac- 
ramento valley  and  through  the  mountains  into 
Oregon.     In  this  company  were  many  whose  names 


mws*> 


DANIEL   N.  LASH. 

Mr.  Lash  was  born  in  Licking  county,  Ohio,  March 
23,  1833,  and  .moved  to  McLean  county,  Illinois, 
the  same  year.  When  he  was  but  three  months 
old  he  lost  his  mother  by  death,  and  fifteen  months 
later  his  father  also  passed  over  the  silent  river. 
Left  an  orphan  thus  in  his  infancy,  young  Daniel 
was  reared  by  his  relatives,  early  learning  to  take 
care  of  himself.  In  1851  he  came  across  the  plains 
by  the  Oregon  route,  and  through  that  Territory  to 
Yreka,  arriving  October  6,  1851.  He  mined  on 
Humbug  till  September,  1852,  when  he  was  won 
by  the  attractions  of  the  new  gold  fields  of  Australia 
whither  he  went  to  seek  his  fortune.  He  mined  in 
New  South  Wales  that  winter,  and  returned  to 
California  and  this  county  in  May,  1853.  He  again 
went  to  work  on  Humbug,  which  has  been  his  home 
till  he  came  to  Yreka  in  1879.  For  eight  or  nine 
years  Mr.  Lash  was  engaged  in  quartz  mining, 
working   the  well-known   Eliza  ledge.     He   com- 


menced with  a  hand-mortar,  and  as  he  progressed, 
he  increased  his  facilities,  until  he  had  a  fifteen- 
stamp  mill.  At  that  point  the  ledge  failed  and 
the  result  of  Mr.  Lash's  labors  for  nine  years 
was  gone.  In  1879  he  was  elected  sheriff,  and 
removed  to  Yreka  where  he  has  since  resided.  He 
has  made  an  efficient  and  faithful  officer,  and  enjoys 
the  esteem  and  confidence  of  the  people,  irrespective 
of  their  political  opinions.  He  is  one  of  those 
pioneers  of  Siskiyou  county,  who  have  labored 
continuously  here  to  build  up  the  county,  and 
develop  its  resources.  So  closely  has  he  applied 
himself  here,  that  he  has  never  revisited  the  place 
of  his  birth  or  the  home  of  his  boyhood.  In  1861 
he  married  Miss  Mary  Mallon,  by  whom  he  has  one 
daughter,  Anna  Maria,  born  April  21,  1863.  The 
wife  and  mother  died  in  1871.  November  20,  1874, 
Mr.  Lash  again  married  Mrs.  Mary  Shubridge. 
Every  movement  of  a  public  character  for  the  good 
of  the  county  is  participated  in  by  Mr.  Lash,  who 
gives  all  his  earnest  encouragement  and  support. 


<c  z 
s  cc 

'J)  o 

mi 
_i  6 

UJ  u 
=)   3 

2  o 
<  i 

fflS 


UJ 


ul 


u 
u  en 

w  P 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


-15 


are  well-known  in  the  trapper  an-nals  of  America, 
the  leading  spirit  being  the  same  Ewing  Young  who 
led  a  party  of  trappers  into  the  San  Joaquin  valley 
in  the  winter  of  1829.  The  historian  of  the  expedi- 
tion was  P.  L.  Edwards,  then  a  young  man,  who 
recorded  in  diary  form  all  the  incidents  that  attended 
the  journey,  the  volume  being  now  preserved  in  the 
State  library  at  Sacramento  and  numbered  23,9S9. 
The  exact  composition  of  the  party  is  not  fully 
given,  but  among  others  were  Young,  Edwards, 
Hawchurst,  Carmichael,  Baile}7,  Erequette,  DesPau, 
B.  Williams,  Tibbets,  Gay,  Wood,  Camp  and  enough 
others  to  make  a  company  of  about  twenty  men,  all 
enured  to  the  dangers  and  privations  of  a  mountain 
life. 

Taking  passage  on  the  brig  Lariat,  they  sailed 
from  the  Columbia  river  on  the  twenty-second  of 
January,  and  landed  at  Yerba  Buena  (San  Francisco) 
after  a  voyage  of  no  unusual  interest.  Here  they 
were  engaged  all  the  summer  in  purchasing  cattle 
and  horses  and  in  making  preparations  for  the  long 
and  toilsome  journey  that  lay  before  them.  Having 
collected  a  band  of  over  seven  hundred  cattle  at 
three  dollars  per  head,  they  set  out  upon  their 
journey,  where  we  find  them  near  the  last  of  August 
at  the  head  of  the  Sacramento  valley.  The  narrative 
of  the  journey  from  this  point  until  the  party 
reached  the  Rogue  river  is  given  in  full  as  recorded 
by  Mr.  Edwards: — 

August  25 — This  morning  began  traveling  among 
the  mountains  which  separate  the  valley  of  the 
Tulares  from  that  of  the  Chastas.  Had  some  diffi- 
culty in  following  the  trail.  We  have  now  taken 
leave  of  the  valley  of  the  Tula,  or  Bullrush;  its 
length  is  said  to  be  about  five  hundred  miles  and  its 
breadth  upon  an  average  about  sixty.  The  soil,  so 
far  as  my  observation  extends,  is  of  an  excellent- 
quality,  and  immediately  on  the  banks  of  its  rivers 
superior  to  any  I  have  ever  seen  on  the  Pacific 
coast.  At  this  season  it  presents  a  parched-up  and 
uninviting  appearance.  Large  tracts  are  covered 
with  pebbles,  and  a  great  portion  of  the  valley  is 
subject  to  annual  inundations,  of  which  fragments 
of  pine  wood  and  bark  where  pine  trees  do  not 
grow,  is  sufficient  evidence.  The  climate,  though 
sometimes  very  warm,  is  upon  the  whole  fine,  par- 
ticularly the  sea-breezes,  which  fan  up  the  evening. 
The  commercial  facilities  are  admirable.  The  great- 
est defect  is  the  want  of  timber,  there  being  scarcely 
any  except  dwarfish  oaks  along  the  margin  of  the 
streams. 

The  intermittent  fever  sometimes  fearfully  pre- 
vails. Mr.  Young  informs  me  that  with  a  trapping 
party  he  passed  one  summer  here  without  having 
one  man  sick,  but  on  his  trip  to  the  Columbia  three 
years  ago  with  stock,  every  one  of  the  company, 
himself  excepted,  had  this  fever.  We  have,  in  our 
party,  had  two  or  three  cases.  On  every  hand  we 
see  revolting  signs  of  its  fearful  ravages.  About 
four  years  ago  it  prevailed  with  such  mortality  that 
the  few  survivors  of  a  village  sometimes  fled  from 
their  homes,  leaving  the  village  literally  strewn  with 
the  dead  and  dying.  Mr.  Y.  says  he  saw  hundreds 
lying  dead  in  one  village,  forsaken  by  the  few  sur- 
vivors, and  birds  preying  upon  the  uncovered  car- 
casses.    This  disease  seems  to  have  prevailed  with 


like  fatality  from  the  bay  of  San  Francisco  to  the 
Columbia  river  in  these  fatal  times.  Previous  to 
1829  it  was  unknown  in  the  Columbia.  Its  great- 
est mortality  seems  to  have  been  from  about  fifty 
to  one  hundred  miles  interior;  still  the  Indians  in 
the  valley  are  numerous.  They  do  not  bury  their 
dead  but  carry  them  a  few  hundred  yards  from 
their  houses  and  leave  them  exposed.  Skulls  and 
bones  are  scattered  all  around  their  villages.  They 
live  principally  on  roots  and  grass  seeds.  Their 
abundant  use  of  the  latter  has  led  the  Californians 
to  say  they  live  on  grass.  They  appear  to  be  peace- 
able, and  though  shy  of  us  have  offered  us  no  injury, 
except  in  two  very  doubtful  cases.  The  horse  guard 
one  night  fired  upon  what  he  took  to  be  an  Indian 
stealing  a  horse.  On  another  night  one  of  the  men 
said  that  an  Indian  crept  into  camp  and  stole  his 
gun,  but  he  pursued  him  and  recovered  it.  Of 
neither  instance  have  we  proof.  Their  mildness  is 
as  much,  perhaps,  the  consequence  of  a  want  of 
energy  as  of  any  more  worthy  cause.  The  men  cut 
off  their  hair  and  live  mostly  perfectly  naked. 

August  26. — Since  last  date,  traveling  in  the 
mountains.  They  appear  every  day  to  grow  more 
difficult.  "Hills  peep  over  hills  and  Alps  on  Alps." 
The  grass  is  so  generally  burned  that  our  animals 
have  become  feeble.  Our  horses  are  so  exhausted 
from  the  same  causes  that  they  are  of  more  trouble 
than  service.  Yesterday  as  the  forward  cattle  were 
drove  down  to  the  river  to  drink,  being  much 
heated,  and  the  bank  steep,  they  got  into  swimming 
water  and  crossed,  nor  were  they  stopped  till  about 
a  hundred  of  the  best  cattle  in  the  band  were  across. 
The  water  being  very  rapid  it  was  difficult  to  get 
men  and  horses  over.  Before  we  succeeded,  the  cat- 
tle, weary  as  they  were,  had  gained  the  summit  of  a 
mountain  several  thousand  feet  high.  With  much 
difficulty  they  were  recrossed.  Several  of  us  started 
in  advance  to  hunt  a  camp.  Myself  up  the  bank, 
etc.,  until  I  rose  the  mountain,  made  for  the  road. 
Turner  and  Tibbets  found  one,  though  not  good, 
which  we  reached  after  sunset.  To-day  the  mount- 
ains grew  more  bushy,  steep  and  rocky.  To-day 
we  have  reached  a  place  where  there  is  water  but 
no  grass.  Unless  grass  is  found  to-morrow,  we 
have  every  prospect  of  starvation  to  our  animals. 
A  tremendous  mountain  rises  before  us,  which  we 
would  fain  have  attempted,  but  Mr.  Young,  having 
rode  up  it  for  some  distance,  returned  in  a  half 
hour,  swearing  that  "a  still  higher  mountain  was 
on  the  top  of  this."  "  Now,"  said  he,  "  if  you  are  a 
philosopher,  show  yourself."  Animals  were,  of 
course,  hard  to  guard  where  there  was  nothing  to 
eat.  Some  of  the  men  being  tired  of  eating  dried 
meat  insisted  on  killing  a  beef.  Mr.  Young  did  not 
consent,  as  he  very  reasonably  did  not  wish  to  pack 
the  meat  over  the  high  mountains  ahead.  A  very 
rough  and  disagreeable  quarrel  ensued.  Some  had 
sworn  they  would  kill  one  at  all  events.  Mr. 
Young  defied  them  and  told  them  to  kill  one  at 
their  peril. 

August  27,  1837. — At  daylight  this  morning  we 
commenced  moving  camp  and  ascended  the  dreaded 
mountain  and  found  another  on  it,  after  pursuing  a 
ridge  about  a  mile.  After  ascending  this  we  fondly 
dreamed  we  would  descend  into  some  friendly  valley, 
but  when  we  had  gained  the  summit  of  this,  behold 


46 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


another !   and   our  hearts  sickened  as  we  forboded 
another    still.       Our    horses    were    so    weak    from 
fatigue    and    hunger  that  they  were   of  little   use, 
nay,  of  more  trouble  than  service.     The  cattle,  too, 
were   laboring  under  the  same  disadvantages,  and, 
besides  were  so  obstinately  lazy  that  every  inch  of 
ground    we    gained    was    contested.      Hallowing, 
bawling,  stones,  clubs  and  anything  on  which  we 
could  lay  our  hands  achieved  every  inch  of  our  pro- 
gress.    They  would  turn  off  from  the  road,  wander 
down  the  sides  of  the  mountain,    take   refuge    in 
dense  brush,  stop  to  fight  each  other,  and  in  short, 
appeared   willing    to    do  anything  but   go    quietly 
along  the  trail.     Three  horses  and  some  of  our  best 
cattle  tired  down  on  the  road.     The  day  was  excess- 
ively warm,  our  faces  covered  and  our  throats  and 
noses  filled  with  dust.     Great  thirst  was  the  neces- 
sary consequence  of  intense  labor  under  such  circum- 
stances, but  it  was  impossible  to  get  water.     Under 
these    circumstances    I    reached    the    point    of    the 
mountain  where  the  road  turned  down  towards  the 
river.     Here  were  lying  some  of  the  men  who  had 
driven  the  first  band  of  cattle;   some  of  them   had 
gone  down  the  mountain  for  water,  I  myself,  sup- 
posing there  was  a  spring  somewhere  on  the  side  of 
the  mountain,  started  in  the  pursuit,  but  after  going 
about  two  hundred  yards  and  seeing  no  indications 
of  water  nearer  than  the  river  about  a  mile  distant, 
three-fourths  of  which  was  down  the  sides  of  a  steep 
mountain,    I  returned  and    pursuaded  the  gentry 
lying  in   the  shade  to  return  with  me  to  assist  in 
driving  up  the  rear  cattle.     At  last  the  whole  party 
were  rendezvoused  at  this  point,  and  we  began  to 
descend,  and  in  about  thirty  or  forty  minutes  gained 
the  valley.     Traveling  about  two  hundred  paces  we 
came  to  a  cool  and  delightful  rivulet.     Never  had  I 
so    suffered   from    thirst    as    this  day,  and    now    I 
plunged  into  it  with   an  avidity  which  frightened 
myself.     At  the  first  hasty  draught  it  did  not  have 
the  usual  taste  in  my  slimy  mouth.     I  drank,  per- 
haps three  quarts  in  fifteen  minutes.     Short-sighted 
man !      Happy  that  his  knowledge  is  prospective, 
else  he_  would  not  adventure  upon  some  of  his  most 
ennobling  enterprises.     Few  of  our  party,  perhaps 
none,    would    have    ventured    upon  this  enterprise 
could  they  have  foreseen  all  its  difficulties.     It  boots 
little  to   reflect  that  the   future  gains  will   amply 
compensate  for  present  suffering.     Most  of  the  party 
cursed  the  day  on  which  they  engaged,  and  would 
hardly  have  exchanged  a  draught  of  cold  water  for 
their  expected  share   of  the  profits.     We  encamped 
about  four  or  five  hundred  yards  from  where  we 
descended  into  the  river  valley  at  about  four  o'clock 
P.  M.     Plenty  of  wood  and  water  and  some  grass. 
A  good  beef  was  killed,  a  part  soon  cooked  and  as 
soon  consumed,  having  ate  nothing  all  day.     Thrice 
happy  evening!   unknown  to  those  who  have  not 
known  the  contrast  of  the  morning,  and  were  it  not 
for  that  fearful  mountain  before  us  we  should  forget 
all  our  trials  in  our  present  happy  condition,  or,  if 
remembered,    to    endear    our   present   enjoyments. 
But  meantime  another  quarrel  with  Wood  and  Mr. 
Y.  about  the  beef.     Our  horses  were  so   exhausted 
for  the  first  time  on  our  trip,  we  guarded  both  them 
and  the  cattle  on  foot. 

August  28. — Remained  in  camp  during  the  day  to 
recruit    our   animals,   though  there  was   but  little 


grass.     Some  of  the  men  returned  and  recovered  two 
horses  that  were  left  by  the  way  yesterday. 

August  29. — At  daylight  this  morning,  began  our 
march  and  ascended  a  mountain  as  high  as  any  we 
had  yet  surmounted ;  the  road  as  difficult  and  the 
cattle  as  weak  and  stubborn  as  on  the  last  day's 
march ;  the  horses  so  weak  that  nearly  all  the  driv- 
ing was  done  on  foot.  Nearly  every  inch  of  pro- 
gress was  gained  by  the  use  of  clubs,  sticks  and 
stones.  When  we  had  gained  the  summit  of  the 
mountain,  we  stopped  about  an  hour  for  the  cattle  to 
eat  grass  and  rest.  The  descent  was  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  or  two  miles  and  sometimes  very  abrupt. 
When  we  had  proceeded  about  half  way  down,  three 
Indians  came  to  us,  and  to  encourage  us,  said,  "Go  on, 
there  is  no  more  mountains  ahead."  Though  not 
much  accustomed  to  confide  in  Indian  veracity,  this 
assertion  produced  a  shout  among  us,  and  "Thank  the 
Lord"  came  from  lips  not  much  accustomed  to  devo- 
tion. The  first  impulse  of  my  own  heart  was  to  hal- 
low aloud  and  echo  the  news;  the  second  to  exhibit 
my  unusual  gratitude  to  the  naked  savage  who 
brought  the  welcome  tale.  The  happy  tidings  soon 
spread  along  our  line  and  gave  us  all  new  life.  Even 
our  cattle  seemed  to  catch  the  prevailing  passion,  and 
we  were  all  huddled  together  in  a  trice  to  the  mount- 
ain's base.  Our  animals  and  ourselves  here  drank 
freely  of  a  beautiful  stream.  Three  cows  were  here 
left;  we  suppose  they  were  poisoned  on  the  mount- 
ain. We  had  now  about  two  miles  to  go  around 
and  over  the  point  of  a  mountain  before  reaching 
camp.  The  brush  was  very  dense  and  there  were 
several  difficult  ravines;  every  inch  was  contested  and 
achieved  only  by  the  exertion  of  all  our  strength. 
We  at  length  found  grass  and  water,  and  upon  the 
whole  the  most  pleasant  encampment  since  we 
entered  the  mountains.  Our  labor  to-day  was  only 
surpassed  by  that  of  the  former;  we  did  not  suffer  ■ 
for  water,  otherwise  it  equals  any  other. 
August  30. — Lay  encamped  all  day. 
August  31. — Moved  camp  and  counting  the  cattle, 
ascertained  that  we  had  lost  about  forty-nine  head 
since  leaving  the  Jesus  Maria  [Buenaventura]. 

September  3. — Since  the  last  date  we  have  been 
making  short  marches  and  camping  wherever  we 
could  find  small  parcels  of  grass.  Our  fancied 
expectation  of  getting  out  of  these  mountains  each 
successive  day  has  been  delusive.  Lofty  mountains 
have  been  exchanged  for  deep  and  difficult  ravines, 
and  our  labor  little  diminished.  I  reckon  yesterday 
the  most  laborious  day  to  myself  since  beginning  the 
trip,  my  bones  aching  from  exertion  and  my  lungs 
painful  from  hallowing.  Since  last  date  have  lost 
some  cattle  and  two  horses.  The  horses  for  the  first 
time  were  suffered  to  go  unguarded  last  night.  This 
morning  found  that  two  horses  were  missing,  one, 
Mr.  Y's.  favorite  saddle  horse  and  one  of  B.  Wil- 
liams'. The  horses  were  found  near  the  top  of  the 
high  mountain  on  our  left,  whither  they  had  gone  in 
quest  of  grass.  Mr  Y.  had  much  difficulty  in  driv- 
ing them  down  to  camp.  It  was  thought  possible 
that  the  two  lost  horses  had  been  stolen,  but  more 
probable  that  they  had  been  left  by  the  way  in  the 
brush  yesterday.  The  cattle  were  very  impatient, 
having  scarcely  anything  to  eat,  so  that  I  was  left 
running  all  the  morning  till  about  one-half  past 
seven,    to  prevent    them    from    wandering,  though 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


47 


not  my  guard.  Moved  about  three  miles,  and  find- 
ing grass  encamped.  Mr.  Young,  B.  Williams  and 
Tibbets  returned  in  quest  of  the  lost  horses,  and 
returned,  sun  one-half  hour  high,  after  a  hard  clay's 
■walk,  having  found  the  two  horses.  They  had  been 
unmolested  by  the  Indians,  as  well  as  two  bulls  tired 
down  by  the  way,  one  of  which  they  also  brought 
on.  To-day  Turner  and  Gay  went  in  advance  about 
six  miles  to  examine  the  road  and  reported  favora- 
bly, having  found  several  parcels  of  grass  at  which 
we  can  recruit  our  animals.  They  also  found  very 
opportunely  one  hundred  and  thirty  Indian  trade 
balls —  will  probably  be  needed.  A  repulsive  mount- 
ain still  lies  before  us.  The  report  is  favorable;  we 
may  not  cross  it. 

September  4. — Moved  one-half  mile  to  fresh 
grass  and  camped.  Some  of  the  wretched  cattle 
wandered  to  the  very  summit  of  the  high  mountain 
to  our  right  and  were  got  down  with  much  diffi- 
culty. 

September  5,  1837. — Remained  encamped  all 
day  with  the  hope  of  finding  mountain  sheep.  * 
*  *  Moved  about  eight  miles  on  September  6th  ; 
road  very  brushy  and  difficult;  camped  at  a  spring 
■apparently  impregnated  with  ferruginous  matter. 
[Probably  soda  springs.]  Traveling  along  a  bank 
which  sloped  abruptly  towards  the  river,  a  loose 
mare  slipped  and  stopped  not  till  she  reached  the 
bottom.  On  hearing  of  this  1  returned  to  see  if  she 
could  be  got  out,  but  could  find  nothing  of  her. 
She  had  probably  struggled  into  the  current  and 
been  carried  away.  Poor  horses !  They  have  be- 
come so  weak  and  their  feet  so  sore  that  they  dread 
the  move,  and  passing  along  the  side  of  the  river 
to-day,  some  crossed  to  evade  the  drivers,  and  they 
frequently  try  to  conceal  themselves  in  the  brush. 
This  is  the  first  encampment  since  entering  the 
mountains  known  to  an}^  of  our  party.  It  is  said 
we  shall  reach  Chasta  valley  in  three  days.  Grass 
is  not  very  plenty.  The  mineral  springs  above 
named  possess  purgative  properties;  animals  very 
fond  of  it.     About  twelve  Indian  houses,  vacant. 

September  7. — Moved  about  a  mile  and  found 
a  better  encampment  for  our  animals  than  any  one 
we  had  found  since  leaving  the  San  Joaquin. 

September  8  and  9. — Lay  encamped,  our  ani- 
mals rapidly  recruiting.  For  the  last  five  or  six 
days  we  have  seen  no  Indians.  The  country  is,  per- 
haps, the  line  between  the  Indians  of  the  valley  and 
those  of  the  mountains,  though  sometimes  occupied 
by  one  or  the  other,  or,  perhaps,  held  in  common. 
The  Indians  of  the  mountains  do  not  appear  to  be 
numerous,  having  never  seen  more  that  fifteen  at 
one  time.  They  are  unoffending  and  friendly.  I 
was  particularly  pleased  with  their  language.  The 
enunciation  is  peculiarly  clear  and  distinct,  and 
entirely  free  from  the  harsh  gutterals  which  I  have 
been  accustomed  to  in  Indian  languages.  Like  all 
American  savages,  before  they  have  had  much  inter- 
course with  white  men,  they  exhibit  a  great  pro- 
pensity for  long  and  high-toned  harangues;  that  we 
could  not  understand  them  was  no  consideration. 
One  old  man,  after  seating  himself  in  silence  and 
smoking  his  pipe  with  much  formality,  raised  his 
voice  to  the  highest  key  and  began  as  follows:  "  In 
yonder  mountain  I  was  born.  There  I  sucked  my 
mother's  breast."     "There  he  had  grown  up,"  and, 


doubtless,  many  other  items  of  equal  importance, 
could  we  have  understood  him.  1  never  failed  in 
getting  a  grand  harangue  when  I  addressed  one  of 
these  mountain  orators.  We  have  been  frequently 
scattered  along  the  road  for  a  mile  or  two  where 
there  was  dense  brush  on  all  sides,  and,  of  course, 
much  exposed;  indeed,  we  have  been  much  at  their 
mercy,  but  they  have  offered  no  injury  either  to 
ourselves  or  property.  [An  experience  quite  the 
reverse  of  that  of  the  miners  and  packers  who  pen- 
etrated this  region  in  1850  and  later.]  On  counting 
our  cattle  correctly,  ascertained  that  our  present 
number  was  six  hundred  and  eighty  (680),  making 
our  previous  loss  less  than  we  had  supposed. 

September  10. — Moved  about  five  miles  and 
finding  excellent  grass,  encamped  and  remained  the 
eleventh. 

September  12. — Made  a  long  and  difficult 
march  and  gained  the  long  wished  for  Shasta  valley; 
began  to  leave  in  the  rear  our  old  acquaintance,  the 
Snow  Peak  [Mount  Shasta,  no  doubt]  with  feelings 
of  anything  but  regret.  Lost  two  horses,  one  of 
which,  a  pack  animal  with  the  pack  on,  was  found 
back  of  camp.  After  traveling  about  three  miles  in 
the  valley,  we  began  to  feel  some  solicitude  about 
Wood  and  Jim,  who  had  returned  in  pursuit  of  the 
horses,  and  halted  for  them.  In  about  fifteen  min- 
utes they  appeared  and  we  proceeded  on  our  way. 
Long  march  to-day. 

September  13. — Made  an  early  move  and 
halted  on  a  stream  tributary  to  Rogue  river.  [He 
was  mistaken  here,  of  course,  and  it  was  probably 
the  Shasta  river].  We  here  ate  breakfast,  gave  our 
animals  a  few  hours  to  eat,  and  moved  until  after 
sunset,  and  reached  a  good  encampment;  distance 
twenty  miles.  Mr.  Young  had  supposed  on  leaving 
the  place  at  which  we  halted  for  breakfast,  that  the 
distance  to  this  place  was  not  more  than  three  or 
four  miles,  but  it  proved  to  be  eight  or  ten.  Once 
started  we  were  obliged  to  go  through. 
\J  Septemrer  14. — Moved  camp  about  ten  o'clock, 
tod  after  traveling  five  miles  crossed  Chasta  [evi- 
dently the  Klamath]  river;  about  five  miles  further 
encamped;  but  little  grass  and  water  for  our 
animals.  About  two  miles  before  reaching  camp 
five  or  six  Indians  came  to  us  in  a  friendly  manner, 
and  one,  accompanied  by  a  boy  about  ten  years  old, 
followed  us  to  camp.  There  had  been  frequent 
threats  on  the  way  that  Indians  would  be  killed 
as  soon  as  we  crossed  Chasta  river,  and  I  had  heard 
threats  of  killing  this  one  while  he  was  following  us. 
It  had  generally  passed  as  idle  braggadocio,  and  I 
was  hoping  that  present  threats  were  of  the  same 
sort,  I,  nevertheless,  intended  telling  Mr.  Young. 
In  the  hurry,  however,  of  unpacking  I  could  not  do 
it  unobserved.  We  had  just  let  loose  our  horses  and 
sat  down  when  a  gun  was  fired  just  behind  me. 
Gay  and  the  Indian  were  sitting  within  ten  paces 
of  each  other  when  the  former  shot.  The  Indian 
sprang  up  to  run  when  Baily,  also,  shot  at  him. 
The  Indian  ran  about  twenty  paces  and  fell  dead 
down  the  hill.  Some  of  the  scoundrels  now  hal- 
lowed, "Shoot  the  boy!"  The  little  fellow,  how- 
ever, turned  a  point  of  rocks,  plunged  into  the  brush, 
as  he  was  not  pursued,  and  escaped.  They  after- 
wards alleged  that  it  was  only  to  prevent  his  spread- 
ing the  news.     At  the  sound  of  the  gun  Mr.  Young 


48 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


asked  vehemently,  "  What's  that  ?"  and  began  cen- 
suring the  act.  I  sprang  up  calling  it  a  mean,  base, 
dastardly  act,  and  that  such  men  were  not  to  be 
depended  upon  in  danger.  Bailey  retorted,  "Are 
you  to  be  depended  upon  in  danger  1"  I  replied, 
"  Yes,"  "  We  will  see."  said  he.  I  said,  "  Yes." 
Carmichael  was  one  of  the  first  to  censure  the  mur- 
der, but  he  now  joined  othei-s  against  me.  "  We  are 
not  Missourians,"  said  he,  "  We  will  avenge  the 
death  of  Americans."  Mr.  Young  and  myself  soon 
saw  that  it  was  no  use  to  wrangle.  Some  of  the 
party  were  silent;  most  were  in  favor  of  the  act; 
only  one  that  I  now  recollect  spoke  against  it. 
Turner,  Gay  and  Bailey  were  three  of  four  survivors 
of  a  party  of  eight  men  who  had  been  defeated  at 
the  next  river  [The  battle  occurred  on  the  Rogue 
river  but  two  years  before],  and  several  of  the 
survivors  were  much  mangled.  Turner's  wife  had 
also  escaped.  This  they  allege  as  their  justification. 
But  the  murder  was  committed  four  days  before 
reaching  the  place  of  their  defeat,  and  the  Indian 
may  have  been  another  tribe.  Nor  could  any  con- 
sideration of  private  revenge,  allowing  its  legality 
itself,  authorize  the  endangering  the  property  of 
others.  We  must  prepare  ourselves  for  fighting  our 
way  through  the  hostile  Indians.  This  fool  act 
may,  as  Mr.  Young  said,  "cost  us  half  our  animals." 
One  act  of  barbarity  is  not  to  be  omitted.  Camp 
and  Pat  stripped  the  Indian  of  his  skin  clothing  and 
left  him  lying  naked.  The  Indian  had  a  bow  and 
about  ten  or  fifteen  arrows;  only  two  arrows  in  the 
pouch  had  stone  points. 

September  15. — Moved  before  sunrise,  road 
bushy  and  difficult.  Had  much  difficulty  in  ascend- 
ing the  bushy  hill.  The  cattle  were  driven  to-day 
in  three  bands.  The  first  ascended  with  little 
trouble.  The  second,  which  I  was  assisting  to  drive 
with  more.  Some  of  the  third  band  were  unable  to 
get  up  and  were  shot  by  the  drivers.  The  two  first 
bands  had  halted  until  the  arrival  of  the  third. 
After  allowing  a  half  hour  rest,  Mr.  Young  gave 
orders  to  march.  Some  of  the  drivers,  however,  had 
become  displeased  because  he  had  not  stopped  in  the 
valley  below,  and  now  did  not  pay  any  attention  to 
his  orders.  Here  a  most  horrid  quarrel  ensued. 
Curses,  guns  and  knives  were  bandied  for  fifteen 
minutes.  Turner,  Gay,  Carmichael  and  Bailey  were 
the  principal  speakers  against  Mr.  Young.  Myself 
and  Des  Pau  tried  to  quash  the  business;  others 
were  silent  and  apparently  indifferent.  VHere  we 
were  in  a  most  difficult  pass  where  a  dozen  Indians 
might  have  killed  the  half  of  us  and  numbers  of  our 
animals  before  we  could  gain  a  good  road,  and  no 
doubt  we  would  have  been  here  attacked,  if  the 
Indians  had  had  time  to  collect.  [They  were  on  the 
Siskiyou  mountain  some  eight  or  ten  miles  north  of 
Klamath  river.]  Property  of  a  very  exposed  nature 
was  to  be  protected,  and,  besides,  we  were  in  equal 
clanger  from  each  other.  We  now  had  much  diffi- 
culty in  driving  through  the  dense  wood  down  the 
bushy  hill  for  about  a  mile.  We  then  gained  a 
prairie,  and  as  there  was  a  gentle  declivity  nearly 
all  the  afternoon,  we  traveled  without  much  further 
difficulty  until  two  hours  before  sunset,  when  we 
encamped;  little  grass.  At  night  strengthened  the 
guards,  putting  five  men  on  each,  instead  of  four. 
My  station  was  beyond  the  brook  on  which  we  were 


encamped,  to  prevent  the  Indians  from  firing  into 
camp  or  among  the  horses  from  the  brush  in  that 
quarter.  About  one  hour  after  I  had  taken  my 
place,  the  moon  having  just  risen,  I  observed  about 
five  Indians  stealing  along  the  wood  around  a  small 
hill  to  the  east,  seemingty  with  the  intention  of  get- 
ting into  the  brush  near  camp,  having  a  double- 
barreled  flowling  piece,  I  fired  one  baiTel,  which 
brought  them  to  a  halt.  The  discharge  of  the  sec- 
ond was  a  signal  for  their  retreat  the  way  they 
came.  I  now  hastened  to  reload  my  gun,  but  could 
get  no  powder  out  of  my  horn.  Supposing  it  was 
empty,  I  hastened  to  camp  to  refill  it,  but  could  get 
none  in;  and  now  I  found  that  a  rag  which  I  had 
wrapped  around  the  stopper  had  slipped  off  and 
stopped  up  the  horn.  The  guards  were  again 
strengthened  by  addition  of  another  man  to  each, 
which  took  all  the  party  for  guards  for  one  night 
except  two,  which  two  had  no  guns.  No  further 
molestation  during  the  night. 

About  two  o'clock  P.  M.,  when  we  were  passing  a 
difficult  place  between  the  mountains  on  the  left, 
covered  with  dense  brush,  and  a  thick  wood  on  our 
right,  the  horses  and  cattle  being  scattered  along  for 
a  mile,  hallowing  and  a  shot  in  the  rear  announced 
an  attack.  I  was  at  this  time  carrying  a  young 
calf  before  me  on  the  horse  with  the  forward  band 
of  cattle,  because  its  mother  would  not  remain 
behind.  At  the  alarm  signal  I  hastened  forward  to 
place  the  calf  with  its  mother  and  acquaint  Mr. 
Young,  and  then  to  return  to  the  assistance  of  the 
rear.  The  horses  being  foremost  were  not  molested, 
as  well  as  the  forward  band  of  cattle.  The  attack 
was  made  from  each  side  of  the  road.  Five  or  six 
head  of  cattle  were  wounded  but  only  one  killed. 
This  was  able  to  travel  out  into  the  open  plain, 
where  she  was  butchered,  and  as  we  needed  a  beef 
it  happened  at  the  right  time.  In  this  attack  the 
enemy  was  so  well  concealed,  that  not  one  was  seen 
until  we  had  gained  the  open  plain,  when  a  few 
showed  themselves  on  the  hill,  but  beyond  the  reach 
of  gunshot.  Camped  on  a  small  brook  on  the  edge 
of  the  brush ;  had  the  same  guards  as  last  night. 
[This  was  in  Rogue  river  valley,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Ashland,  and  the  stream  was,  probably,  Ashland  or 
Bear  creek.] 

September  17. — Moved  after  breakfast.  A  few 
arrows  were  shot  at  us  from  a  thick  wood  on 
our  right.  Nothing  was  injured,  however,  but  the 
riding  horse  of  B.  Williams,  into  the  right  hip  of 
which  an  arrow  was  shot,  but  without  much  injury. 
Camped  in  the  open  plain  where  there  was  no  water 
for  our  animals,  but  a  small  spring  about  four  hun- 
dred yards  distant  supplied  our  own  wants. 

September  IS. — Moved  about  sunrise.  Indians 
were  soon  observed  running  along  the  mountain 
to  our  right.  There  could  be  no  doubt  that  they 
were  intending  to  attack  us  at  some  difficult  pass. 
Our  braves  occasionally  fired  on  them  when  there 
was  a  mere  possibility  of  doing  any  execution. 
About  twelve  o'clock,  as  we  were  in  a  stony  and 
brushy  pass  between  the  river  [Rogue  river]  on  our 
right  and  a  mountain  covered  with  wood  on  our 
left,  firing  and  yelling  in  front  announced  an 
attack.  Mr.  Young,  apprehensive  of  an  attack  at 
this  pass  had  gone  in  advance  to  examine  the  brush 
and  ravine,   and  returned  without  seeing  Indians. 


A.  J.  CALDWELL. 


MBS.  A.  J.  CALDWELL. 


ANDREW  JACKSON  CALDWELL 

Was  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Baird)  Caldwell,  of 
Lycoming  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was 
born  October  9,  1832.  His  father  was  a  farmer, 
and  m  1840  moved  to  Knox  county,  Illinois.  Here 
Andrew  remained,  working  in  summer  and  attending 
school  in  winter,  until  1847,  when  he  went  to  Peoria, 
Illinois,  and  there  learned  the  blacksmith  trade. 
After  serving  his  time  he  spent  one  year  at  Knox- 
ville,  and  in  the  spring  of  1850  crossed  the  plains  to 
California  in  search  of  fortune  in  the  gold  fields.  He 
arrived  in  El  Dorado  county  after  about  three 
months'  travel,  and  at  once  went  to  mining  on  Wea- 
ver creek  near  Cold  springs.  After  mining  one 
year  he  returned  to  Illinois  via  the  Nicaragua  route, 
intending  to  stay,  but  it  was  too  quiet  there,  and  in 
1853  he  fitted  out  an  ox-team,  and  having  once 
crossed  the  plains,  was  this  time  employed  by  some 
parties  to  take  them  through  to  Oregon.  They  went 
by  the  northern  route  and  landed  at  Oregon  City  in 
the  fall.  After  spending  the  winter  in  Oregon  City, 
working  at  blacksmith ing,  he  started  for  Yreka' 
arriving  there  June  6,  1854.  He  sold  his  cattle 
and  went  to  mining  on  the  Greenhorn,  and  con- 
tinued until  1856.     He  then  went  out  on  Shasta 


valley  and  purchased  the  place  on  which  he  now 
resides.     In  1852  a  blacksmith  shop  was  started  on 
his  farm  by  Clarkson  &  Raynes.     They  sold  to  John 
Sissell  and  he  to  Mr.  Caldwell.     His  original  pur- 
chase was  about  100  acres,  to  which  he"  has   con- 
stantly added  until  he  now  has  about  800,  all  under 
good  fence  and  well  adapted  to   grain  and  stock. 
The  residence  was  erected  in  1859,  and  is  one  of 
the  many  good  improvements    in  Shasta    valley. 
After   roughing  it  for  many  years  he  decided  to 
change,    and  was  married  to  Miss  Leonia  Arbaugh, 
daughter  of  George  W.  Arbaugh,  January  1,  1867^ 
There    are    six    children:  —  John,   born'  June   6, 
1868;    William  Anthony,  September  25,  1869;  An- 
drew J.,  September  4,  1871 ;  Harry,  January  3, 1874; 
Mattie  Ann,  February  3,  1876,  and  Edward  Harri- 
son, June  9,  1878.     In  business  Mr.  Caldwell  has 
been  successful  and  accumulated  a  good  property; 
in  politics  a  Democrat ;  in  his  religious  views  a  Prot- 
estant, having  been  reared  in  the  Old  School  Presby- 
terian faith.     In  1857  he  went  to  Oregon  and  pur- 
chased a  band  of  cattle  which  he  brought  to  Siski- 
you county,  and  has  since  that  time   been  engaged 
chiefly  in  stock  growing.     He  seldom  sells  any  grain 
or  hay,  but  on  the  contrary  feeds  it  to  stock,  and 
thus  returns  a  reward  to  the  land  for  its  production. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


49 


On  making  further  search  he  found  them  posted  on 
each  side  of  the  road.  After  firing  of  four  guns,  the 
forward  cattle  having  halted  and  myself  having 
arrived  with  the  rear,  I  started  forward,  but  orders 
met  me  in  front  that  no  others  should  leave  the  cat- 
tle, Mr.  Young  feeling  able,  with  the  two  or  three 
men  already  with  him  to  rout  the  Indians.  In  the 
struggle,  Gay  was  wounded  in  the  back  by  an 
arrow.  Two  arrows  shot  into  the  riding-horse  of 
Mr.  Young,  while  he  was  snapping  his  gun  at  an 
Indian  not  more  than  ten  yards  off.  To  save  his 
horse  he  had  dismounted  and  struck  him  on  the 
head,  but  he  refused  to  go  off,  and  received  two 
arrows,  probably  shot  at  his  master.  Having 
another  bushy  place  to  pass,  about  four  or  five  of  us 
went  in  advance,  but  were  not  molested.  Camped 
on  the  spot  where  Turner  and  party  were  attacked 
two  years  ago.VSoon  after,  the  men  on  day  guard 
said  they  had  seen  three  Indians  in  a  small  grove 
about  three  hundred  yards  from  camp.  About  half 
of  the  party  went,  surrounded  the  grove,  some  of 
them  fired  into  it,  others  passed  through  it,  but 
could  find  no  Indians.  At  night  all  the  horses 
nearly  famished,  as  they  were  tied  up.  Night  set 
in  dark,  cloudy,  and  threatening  rain,  so  that  the 
guard  could  hardly  have  seen  an  Indian  ten  paces 
off,  until  the  moon  rose  about  ten  o'clock.  I  was 
on  watch  the  first  half  of  the  night. 

[Here  the  manuscript  book  of  Mr.  Edwards 
abruptly  ends,  having  eighty-nine  pages.  We  have 
followed  them  from  the  head  of  the  Sacramento 
valley  to  Rogue  river.] 

In  the  year  1838  the  United  States  government 
sent  out  a  fleet  of  vessels,  under  the  command  of 
Com.  Charles  Wilkes,  on  an  extensive  voyage  of 
exploration  that  lasted  five  years.  In  the  month  of 
September,  1841,  a  detachment  of  the  expedition 
started  on  an  overland  trip  from  Vancouver  to 
Yerba  Buena  (San  Francisco),  passing  through  this 
region  on  the  old  Hudson  Bay  Company's  trail. 
The  party  consisted  of: — 

Lieut.  George  F.  Emmons,  in  command. 

Past  Midshipman  Henry  Eld. 
"  "  George  W.  Colvocoressis. 

Assistant  Surgeon  J.  S.  Whittle. 

Seaman  Doughty. 
Sutton. 
Waltham. 
"        Merzer. 

Sergeant  Stearns. 

Corporal  Hughes. 

Private  Marsh. 
Smith. 

T.  R.  Peale,  Naturalist. 

W.  Rich,  Botanist. 

J.  D.  Dana,  Geologist. 

A.  T.  Agate,  Artist. 

J.  D.  Breckenridge,  Assistant  Botanist. 

Baptiste  Guai'dipii,  Guide. 

Tibbats. 

Black. 

Wai-fields. 

Wood. 

Molair. 

Inass. 

Besides  these  there  went  with  the  party  for  safe 
escort  Mr.  Walker  and  wife,  sister,  three  sons  and 
7 


two  daughters,  Burrows,  wife  and  child,  and  Nichols, 
with  Warfields'  wife  and  child.  In  reference  to  the 
journey  of  this  party  through  what  is  now  Siskiyou 
county,  Commodore  Wilkes  writes  as  follows,  in 
United  States  Exploring  Expedition,  Vol.  5 : — 

"On  the  29th,  they  set  out  to  ascend  the  Bound- 
ary mountains,  which  separate  Mexico  from  the 
United  States.  It  is  a  range  of  hills  from  twelve 
hundred  to  two  thousand  feet  high,  some  of  whose 
summits  have  a  mural  front;  the  features  of  all  the 
ridges  wear  a  basaltic  appearance,  though  some  of 
them  are  of  sandstone,  and  contain  fossils.  As  they 
ascended,  they  every  moment  expected  to  be 
attacked,  particularly  at  a  steep  and  narrow  path, 
where  a  single  horse  has  barely  room  to  pass.  The 
man  Tibbats  was  one  of  a  party  of  fifteen,  which 
was  defeated  here  by  the  Indians,  some  three  years 
before.  One  of  their  number  was  killed,  and  two 
died  of  their  wounds  on  the  Umpqua,  whither  they 
were  obliged  to  retreat,  although  they  had  forced 
the  Indians  back  with  great  loss.  He  showed  great 
anxiety  to  take  his  revenge  on  them,  but  no  oppor- 
tunity offered,  for  the  party  had  no  other  difficulty 
than  scrambling  up  a  steep  path,  and  through  thick 
shrubbery,  to  reach  the  top.  Not  an  Indian  was 
to  be  seen,  although  they  had  evidently  made  some 
preparations  to  attack  the  party ;  the  ground  had 
been  but  recently  occupied,  some  large  trees  felled 
across  the  path  by  burning,  and  many  other  imped- 
iments placed  to  prevent  the  party  from  advancing. 
The  whole  mountain  side  was  admirably  adapted  for 
an  ambuscade. 

"  At  the  summit  of  this  range,  they  got  their  first 
view  of  the  Klamet  valley.  It  was  beneath  them, 
walled  on  both  sides  by  high  basaltic  hills,  one 
beyond  another.  Mount  Shasta,  a  high,  snowy 
peak,  of  a  sugar-loaf  form,  which  rose  through  the 
distant  haze,  bore  southward,  forty-five  miles  dis- 
tant. They  descended  on  the  south  side,  and  en- 
camped on  the  banks  of  Otter  creek,  within  a  mile 
of  the  Klamet  river. 

"  This  ridge  divides  the  waters  flowing  to  the 
north  and  south.  The  soil  seemed  to  change  for  the 
worse,  becoming  more  sandy. 

"  In  consequence  of  the  illness  of  some  of  the 
party,  it  was  concluded  to  remain  stationaiy  on  the 
30th;  the  others  made  excursions  around  the  camp. 
The  country  they  saw  was  a  broad  prairie  valley, 
dotted  with  oaks  and  pines,  with  a  serpentine  line  of 
trees  marking  the  edges  of  the  streams  till  they  are 
lost  in  the  distance.  This  valley  lies  in  the  midst  of 
hills,  clothed  with  a  forest  of  evergreens,  and 
through  this  the  waters  of  the  Klamet  flow,  passing, 
beyond  it,  through  a  narrow  valley  on  the  west. 
The  most  remarkable  object  in  this  place  is  the  iso- 
lated conical  peak,  which  rises  immediately  from  the 
level  plain  to  the  height  of  one  thousand  feet,  and  is 
destitute  of  trees,  except  on  its  summit. 

''  Near  their  camp  were  the  remains  of  an  Indian 
hut,  which  had    been   constructed   of   bent   sticks. 

"  Lieutenant  Emmons,  during  the  day,  obtained 
both  dip  and  intensity  observations.  The  thermom- 
eter, in  the  shade,  rose  to  100°.  At  dawn  the  fol- 
lowing morning  it  was  32°.  The  hunters  did  not 
succeed  in  procuring  any  game. 

"  On  the  1st  of  October,  they  were  enabled  to 
take  an  early  start.     The  weather  was,  however, 


50 


HISTOEY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


sultry,  and  the  atmosphere  again  so  smoky  as  to 
shut  out  the  Shasta  Peak  from  view.  In  about  two 
hours  they  crossed  the  Klamet  river,  where  it  was 
about  eighty  yards  wide,  with  low  banks,  destitute 
of  bushes.  It  was  about  four  feet  deep,  with  a 
pebbly  bottom.  Both  above  and  below  the  ford, 
there  were  rapids;  the  volume  of  water  was  about 
equal  to  that  of  the  Umpqua.  From  the  appear- 
ance of  its  banks,  it  is  subject  to  overflow.  The 
prairie,  after  crossing  the  river,  became  dry  and 
barren,  from  which  a  solitary  butte,  by  which  term 
these  hills  are  known,  occasionally  rose  up,  from  one 
to  five  hundred  feet  high.  These  are  peculiar  to 
this  country.  Heaps  of  volcanic  rocks,  consisting  of 
large  masses  of  grayish  or  reddish  porphyritic  lava, 
in  blocks  of  from  one  to  ten  cubic  feet  in  size,  were 
lying  on  the  surface  in  disorderly  piles.  Beyond, 
to  the  eastward,  the  lava  heaps  became  still  more 
numerous. 

"  They  encamped  on  the  southern  branch  of  the 
Klamet  river,  which  is  a  beautiful,  clear,  and  rapid 
stream,  where  they  met  with  a  small  spot  of  grass, 
the  only  one  they  had  seen  during  the  day.  Two 
Indians  were  discovered  on  the  look-out  from  one  of 
the  lava  heaps.  Lieutenant  Emmons,  taking  the 
guide  with  him,  succeeded  in  preventing  their, 
escape,  and  was  enabled  to  approach  them.  They 
were  at  first  under  great  fear,  but  soon  became 
reconciled,  and  sold  two  salmon  they  had  with 
them,  which  they  had  taken  in  the  river  with  their 
fish-spears.  The  salmon  were  of  a  whitish  color, 
and  not  at  all  delicate  to  the  taste;  their  tails  were 
worn  off,  and  the  fish  otherwise  bruised  and  injured. 
Many  salmon  are  caught  in  all  these  rivers.  The 
Indians  were  thought  to  be  better-looking'  than 
those  before  seen  about  the  villages,  and  were  quite 
naked,  excepting  the  maro.  After  having  disposed 
of  their  fish,  they  were  willing  to  sell  their  bows 
and  arrows,  which  they  had  hid  in  the  grass.  These, 
which  were  all  neatly  made,  were  bought  for  a 
knife.  They  then  pointed  out  some  more  of  their 
tribe,  who  were  seated  on  the  side  of  a  distant  hill, 
and  were  very  desirous  that  they  might  be  per- 
mitted to  come  into  the  camp;  but  permission  was 
refused  them.  Here  our  gentlemen  saw  large  bun- 
dles of  rushes,  made  up  in  the  form  of  a  lashed-up 
hammock,  which  the  Indians  are  said  to  use  instead 
of  canoes. 

"  On  the  2d,  they  traveled  all  day  over  a  rolling- 
prairie,  without  water;  the  low  ground  was  in- 
crusted  with  salts,  notwithstanding  which,  the  land 
was  better  than  that  passed  over  the  day  before. 
♦  Some  patches  of  spiraea  and  dogwood  were  met 
with,  and  a  better  growth  of  grass;  although  it  was 
still  very  scanty. 

"  Large  herds  of  antelopes  were  seen,  but  none  of 
them  were  killed;  the  hunters  also  recognized  the 
mountain  sheep,  which  are  of  a  dark  color,  much 
larger  than  the  common  sheep,  and  having  large 
horns.  Towards  the  afternoon  they  came  to  some 
holes  containing  water;  and  such  had  been  the  suf- 
fering of  some  of  the  animals  from  thirst,  that  they 
rushed  into  them  with  their  packs,  and  it  required 
much  labor  to  extricate  them,  for  which  purpose  it 
was  necessary  to  use  the  lasso.  About  midday  they 
left  the  Klamet  valley,  which  is  far  inferior  to  any 
portion  of  the  country  they  had  passed  through; 


and  as  they  crossed  the  hills  which  enclose  it,  they 
found  that  the  outcropping  rocks  were  composed  of 
a  dark  green  serpentine.  They  encamped  a  little 
beyond  the  hills,  .and  in  the  vicinity  of  their  camp, 
boulders  of  a  course  syenite,  forming  the  bed  of  the 
creek,  and  lying  along  its  course,  were  seen.  The 
hornblend  crystals  of  the  latter  rock  were  often  two 
incites  long,  and  were  set  in  a  white  granular  paste 
of  feldspar. 

"  At  their  camp  they  were  visited  by  a  party  of 
Shasta  Indians,  who  were  allowed  to  enter  it,  and 
for  some  time  there  was  a  brisk  trade  for  their  bows 
and  arrows.  These  Indians  are  a  fine-looking  race, 
being  much  better  proportioned  than  those  more  to 
the  northward,  and  their  features  more  regular. 
One  of  the  boys  was  extremely  good-looking.  He 
had  a  bright  black  eye,  and  pleasing  expression  of 
countenance;  he  was  clad  in  dressed  deer-skins, 
over  his  shoulders  and  about  his  body,  but  his  legs 
were  bare.  They  all  wore  their  black  hair  hanging 
clown  to  their  shoulders ;  and  they  do  not  compress 
their  heads.  Mr.  Agate  had  much  difficulty  in  get- 
ting them  to  stand  still  for  the  purpose  of  having 
their  portraits  taken,  and  gave  them  a  miniature  of 
his  mother  to  look  at,  hoping  that  this  would  allay 
their  fears,  but  it  had  a  contrary  effect,  as  they  now 
believed  that  he  desired  to  put  some  enchantment 
upon  them,  and.  thought  that  he  was  the  medicine- 
man of  the  party. 

"  They  obtained  an  exhibition  of  the  archery  of 
the  Indians  by  putting  up  a  button  at  twenty  yards 
distance,  which  one  of  them  hit  three  times  out  of 
five:  the  successful  marksman  was  rewarded  with  it 
and  a  small  piece  of  tobacco.  They  use  these  bows 
with  such  dexterity  as  to  kill  fish,  and  launch  their 
arrows  with  such  force,  that  one  of  the  gentlemen 
remarks  he  would  as  leave  be  shot  at  with  a  musket 
jit  the  distance  of  one  hundred  yards,  as  by  one  of 
these  Indians  with  his  bow  and  arrow.  Their  bows 
and  arrows  are  beautifully  made;  the  former  are  of 
yew  and  about  three  feet  long;  they  are  flat,  and  an 
inch  and  a  half  to  two  inches  wide;  these  are 
backed  very  neatly  with  sinew,  and  painted.  The 
arrows  are  upwards  of  thirty  inches  long ;  some  of 
them  were  made  of  a  close-grained  wood,  a  species 
of  spiraea,  while  others  were  of  reed;  they  were 
feathered  for  a  length  of  from  five  to  eight  inches, 
and  the  barbed  heads  were  beautifully  wrought 
from  obsidian;  the  head  is. inserted  in  a  grooved 
piece,  from  three  to  five  inches  long,  and  is  attached 
to  the  shaft  by  a  socket ;  this,  when  it  penetrates,  is 
left  in  the  wound  when  the  shaft  is  withdrawn;  a 
very  shallow  blood-channel  is  sometimes  cut  in  the 
shaft.  In  shooting  the  arrow,  the  bow  is  held  hori- 
zontally, braced  by  the  thumb  of  the  left  hand,  and 
drawn  by  the  thumb  and  first  three  fingers  of  the 
right  hand.  To  obviate  the  disadvantage  of  draw- 
ing to  the  breast,  the  chest  is  thrown  backwards;  on 
discharging  the  arrow,  they  throw  out  the  right  leg 
and  stand  on  the  left.  Their  quivers  are  made  of 
deer,  raccoon,  or  wild-cat  skin  ;  these  skins  are  gen- 
erally whole,  being  left  open  at  the  tail  end. 

"A  disease  was  observed  among  them  which  had 
the  appearance  of  leprosy,  although  the  doctor  did 
not  recognize  it  as  such ;  one  of  the  six  had  wasted 
away  to  almost  a  skeleton  from  its  effects. 

"  The  old  man  was  pointed  out  as  the  father-in- 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


51 


law  of  Michel  La    Framboise,  who,  as  I  have  said 
before,  has  a  wife  in  nearly  every  tribe. 

"  As  to  dress,  they  can  scarcely  be  said  to  wear 
any  except  a  mantle  of  deer  or  wolf  skin.     A  few. 
of  them  had  deer-skins  belted  around  their  waists 
with  a  highly  ornamented  girdle: 

'On  the  3d,  they  continued  their  route  up  the 
plain,  and  soon  reached  its  termination,  after  which 
they  entered  the  forest  on  the  slopes  of  the  Shasta 
range;  the  path  was  rendered  very  broken  and 
uneven  by  the  knolls  of  trachyte  which  were  seen 
in  every  direction.  On  arriving  at  the  top  of  the 
ridge,  they  had  a  magnificent  view  of  the  snowy 
peak  of  Shasta,  with  a  nearer  and  intermediate  one 
destitute  of  snow,  with  tall  pines  growing  nearly  to 
its  top.  Where  the  surface  could  be  seen,  it 
appeared  as  though  it  was  covered  with  large 
blocks  of  rock ;  its  conical  shape  proved  its  volcanic 
character,  although  no  crater  could  be  perceived. 

"  The  Shasta  peak  is  a  magnificent  sight,  rising 
as  it  does  to  a  lofty  height,  its  steep  sides  emerging 
from  the  mists  which  envelope  its  base,  and  seem  to 
throw  it  off  to  an  immense  distance;  its  cleft  sum- 
mit gave  proof  of  its  former  active  state  as  a  vol- 
cano. The  snow  lies  in  patches  on  the  sides  and 
part  of  the  peak  of  this  mountain ;  but  there  is  a 
great  difference  in  the  position  of  its  snow-line  from 
that  of  Mount  Hood  or  St.  Helen's.  Its  height  is 
said  to  be  fourteen  thousand  three  hundred  and 
ninety  feet,  but  Lieutenant  Emmons  thinks  it  is  not 
so  high.  After  passing  this  ridge,  they  soon  met 
the  head-waters  of  the  Sacramento,  flowing  to  the 
southward,  and  their  camp  was  pitched  on  the 
banks  of  another  stream,  that  came  from  the  Shasta 
peak. 

"  Oar  party  now  had  their  prospects  somewhat 
brightened,  having  passed  safely  through  the  coun- 
try of  the  "  Bad  Indians."  I  cannot  but  regret  that 
they  should  at  this  time  have  been  found  in  so  hos- 
tile a  state  that  it  rendered  it  not  only  prudent,  but 
necessary  for  the  safety  of  the  party,  that  all  inter- 
course should  be  avoided,  and  consequently  one  of 
the  objects  of  the  Expedition,  that  of  acquiring  some 
knowledge  of  their  actual  condition,  numbers,  etc., 
was  frustrated. 

"  On  the  4th,  they  had  fairly  entered  into  the  dis- 
trict of  pines;  again  some  of  the  Lambertiana  were 
measured,  and  found  to  be  eighteen  feet  in  circum- 
ference, with  cones  sixteen  inches  long. 

"  They  encamped  on  Destruction  river,  which 
runs  from  this  mountain  range  towards  the  south,  in 
a  place  where  they  found  food  for  their  horses  and 
water  in  abundance.  The  air  was  delightful ;  the 
forest  protected  them  from  the  rays  of  the  sun,  and 
besides  this  the  game  was  plentiful.  Near  the 
encampment,  in  a  north-west  direction,  was  a 
mountain  ridge  shooting  up  in  sharp  conical  points 
and  needle-shaped  peaks,  having  a  precipitous  front. 
One  of  these  peaks  almost  overhangs  the  valley,  pre- 
senting a  gray  surface  of  naked  rock  two  thousand 
feet  high.  The  valley  which  adjoins  is  strewn  over 
with  boulders  of  white  granite,  similar  to  that 
already  described.  From  this,  there  is  little  doubt 
that  the  ridge  is  formed  of  the  same  material.  At 
meridian  they  reached  a  small  valley  bordering  on 
the  Destruction  river,  where  they  found  a  chaly- 
beate spring.     The  water  oozes  out  from  the  rocks, 


bubbling  up  freely,  and  is  highly  charged  with  car- 
bonic acid  gas.  In  taste  it  was  found  agreeable  to 
both  the  riders  and  the  animals.  Its  temperature 
was  50°,  that  of  the  air  being  75°;  about  a  gallon 
per  minute  is  discharged.  Around  it  there  is  a 
thick  deposit  of  iron  rust,  and  a  few  yards  distant 
a  small  pond,  the  bottom  of  which  was  also  coated 
with  a  ferruginous  deposit.  The  rocks  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  spring  were  of  the  trachytic  and  slightly 
cellular  lava,  which  is  speckled  with  grains  of  feld- 
spar. The  hunters  said  that  the  spring  was  in  all 
respects  similar  to  that  on  the  Bear  creek,  which 
empties  into  the  Youta  lake,  known  in  the  Rocky 
mountains  as  the  Soda  spring.  Mr.  Dana  found 
some  difficulty  in  accounting  for  this  emission  of 
carbonic  acid,  as  no  limestone  was  found  or  known 
to  exist  in  the  neighborhood ;  yet  he  is  inclined  to 
believe  that  it  may  be  owing  to  the  decomposition 
of  sulphuret  of  iron." 

From  this  time  until  the  discovery  of  gold  opened 
this  whole  region  to  the  occupation  of  white  men, 
not  a  year  passed  but  witnessed  parties  following 
this  trail  either  to  or  from  California.  In  1843, 
Stephen  H.  Meek  led  a  small  party  of  emigrants 
from  the  Willamette  valley  over  this  trail  to  Sutter's 
Fort.  In  Rogue  River  valley  they  met  Capt.  Joe. 
Walker,  the  celebrated  mountaineer,  with  a  party  of 
men  and  a  band  of  two  thousand  head  of  cattle,  on 
their  way  from  the  Sacramento  valley  to  the  Oregon 
settlements.  On  Willow  creek,  Meek's  party  came 
suddenly  upon  a  rancheria  of  Shastas,  busily  engaged 
in  drying  the  meat  of  cattle  they  had  stolen  from 
Walker.  A  charge  was  made  upon  them,  and  all 
the  women  and  children  captured,  the  braves  effect- 
ing their  escape.  All  the  dried  meat  was  taken  by 
the  captors,  and  the  prisoners  released.  That  night 
they  encamped  on  the  Shasta  river,  and  early  next 
morning  a  Shasta  crawled  up  softly  and  shot 
George  W.  Bellamy,  one  of  the  guards,  in  the  back, 
and  made  his  escape.  The  arrow  was  drawn  out 
and  Bellamy  recovered. 

In  1844,  a  large  band  of  emigrants  passed  from 
California  into  Oregon  by  this  route.  In  May,  1846, 
two  companies'  of  emigrants  that  had  come  to  Cali- 
fornia the  year  before  and  were  dissatisfied,  passed 
over  this  trail  to  the  Willamette  valley.  The  first 
company  contained  about  eight  families,  amounting 
to  thirty  souls,  among  whom  were  William  and 
Abner  Frazer,  now  living  near  Salem,  Oregon,  and 
Charles  Savage, now  residing  at  Jacksonville,  Oregon. 
Mr.  Savage  had  just  arrived  in  California  with 
Fremont  and  had  been  discharged  from  the  service 
with  several  others  at  their  own  solicitation.  They- 
drove  with  them  three  hundred  cattle  and  two  hun- 
dred horses  that  had  been  brought  by  them  from  the 
States.  The  second  company  was  composed  of 
twenty  men,  among  whom  were  John,  James  and 
Henry  Owen,  the  last  of  whom  now  lives  at  Eugene 
City,  Oregon,  and  drove  with  them  six  or  seven 
hundred  head  of  wild  cattle  they  had  purchased  in 
California,  being  a  few  weeks  in  the  rear  of  the  other 
party. 

These  two  companies  had  been  at  Lassen's  ranch 
with  Fremont  and  his  party  of  about  fifty  men, 
from  which  point  they  made  the  final  start  of  their 
journey.  Fremont,  however,  turned  off  the  regular 
trail  and  proceeded  up  Pit  river,  or  as  it  was  then 


52 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


called,  the  east  fork  of  the  Sacramento.  He  pro- 
ceeded by  way  of  Goose,  Clear  and  Tule  lakes  to  the 
west  shore  of  Klamath  lake,  where  he  camped  for  a 
few  days.  On  the  ninth  of  May,  Samuel  Neal  and 
M.  Sigler  rode  into  camp  with  the  information  that 
a  United  States  officer  was  on  their  trail  with  offi- 
cial dispatches,  and  would  fall  a  victim  to  the  sava- 
ges if  not  rescued,  the  two  messengers  having  only 
escaped  by  the  fleetness  of  their  animals.  Taking- 
five  trappers,  four  friendly  Indians  and  the  two 
messengers,  Fremont  hastened  to  the  rescue,  and  at 
sun-down  met  Lieutenant  Gillespie,  accompanied  by 
Peter  Lassen,  sixty  miles  from  the  camp  he  had  left 
in  the  morning.  They  camped  that  night  in  the 
Modoc  country,  near  Klamath  lake,  and  there  it  was 
that  the  savage  Modocs  committed  the  first  of  the 
long  series  of  murders  that  have  marked  their  deal- 
ings with  the  whites.  Exhausted  as  they  were,  the 
men  lay  clown  to  sleep  without  a  guard,  a  piece  of  care- 
lessness inexcusable  in  mountain  men  of  such  expe- 
rience and  reputation,  especially  among  Indians  they 
knew  to  be  hostile.  The  Modocs  were  not  slow  to 
take  advantage  of  the  opportunity.  Late  in  the 
night  the  watchful  Kit  Carson  heard  a  dull,  heavy 
thud,  as  if  a  blow  had  fallen  on  some  one,  and  called 
to  Basil  Lajeunesse,  who  was  sleeping  on  the  other 
side  of  the  camp  fire,  to  know  what  the  trouble 
was.  Getting  no  answer,  and  catching  a  glimpse  of 
moving  figures  he  cried  out  "Indians!  Indians!"  and 
seized  his  rifle.  Quickly  the  trappers,  Lucien  Max- 
well, Richard  Owens,  Alex.  Godey  and  Steppenfeldt 
sprang  to  his  side,  and  rushed  to  the  aid  of  the  men 
attacked.  The  chief  was  killed  and  his  followers 
fled,  but  Lajeunesse,  Denne,  an  Iroquois,  and  Crain, 
a  Delaware,  were  dead.  This  camp  was  on  Hot 
creek,  in  this  county. 

An  examination  of  the  trail  in  the  morning-  showed 
the  attacking  party  to  have  been  about  twentj' 
strong,  and  in  the  dead  chief  Lieutenant  Gillespie 
recognized  an  Indian  who  had,  the  preeeeding  morn- 
ing, presented  him  with  a  fine  fish,  the  first  food  he 
had  eaten  for  forty  hours.  On  the  eleventh,  Fremont 
left  his  main  camp  and  started  with  bis  whole  com- 
pany back  to  California,  to  begin  the  war  of  inde- 
pendence that  ended  in  its  conquest  by  the  United 
States.  A  detachment  of  about  fifteen  men  was 
then  left  in  ambush  there  to  punish  the  perpetrators 
if  they  should  return  to  the  scene  of  their  outrage. 
They  soon  overtook  the  main  body,  bringing  two 
Modoc  scalps  to  show  that  they  had  been  partially 
successful.  Just  before  night  the  advance  guard  of 
ten  men  under  Kit  Carson  came  suddenly  upon  an 
Indian  village  on  the  east  bank  of  Klamath  lake, 
and  charged  into  it  at  once,  killing  many  braves  and 
burning  the  rancheria,  but  sparing-  the  women  and 
children.  Still  later  that  day  another  skirmish  was 
bad,  and  Kit  Carson's  life  was  saved  by  Fremont, 
who  rode  an  Indian  down  who  was  aiming  an  arrow 
at  the  scout.  The  Modocs  fought  with  that  same 
desperate  bravery  that  characterized  many  of  their 
after  encounters,  but  after  this  disastrous  result  of 
their  first  attack  upon  the  whites  it  would  seem  as 
though  they  would  have  given  them  a  wide  berth 
in  future,  but  the  reverse  was  the  fact.  Years 
afterwards  a  Modoc  chief  related  the  occurrence  to 
Hon.  Lindsay  Applegate,  and  in  response  to  a  ques- 
tion as  to  why  they  had  made  the  attack  upon  Fre- 


mont, said  that  these  were  the  first  white  men  they 
ever  saw,  and  wanted  to  kill  them  to  keep  any 
more  from  coming. 

In  the  spring  of  1846  a  company  of  Oregonians 
organized  a  volunteer  expedition  for  the  purpose  of 
exploring  a  route  west  from  Fort  Hall  into  southern 
Oregon  and  thence  into  Willamette  valley.  This 
party  consisted  of  Capt.  Levi  Scott,  John  Jones, 
John  Owens,  Henry  Boggus,  William  Sportsman, 
Samuel  Goodhue,  Robert  Smith,  Moses  Harris,  John 
Scott,  William  G.  Parker,  David  Goff,  Benjamin  F. 
Burch,  Jesse  Applegate,  and  Lindsay  Applegate, 
the  last  of  whom  has  written  an  account  of 
their  trip  from  a  diary  kept  by  him.  On  the 
twenty-ninth  of  June  they  left  the  trail  at  the  north 
base  of  the  Siskiyou  mountain,  and  passed  over  the 
mountains  to  the  eastward  to  Klamath  river,  near 
where  it  starts  from  the  lake.  Just  ahead  of  them 
when  they  diverged  from  the  trail  was  a  party  of 
about  eighty  men,  Frenchmen,  half -breeds,  Columbia 
Indians  and  a  few  Americans,  among  whom  were 
C.  E.  Pickett,  a  well-known  merchant  pioneer  of 
Sacramento,  and  John  Turner,  the  trapper.  They 
had  been  for  a  number  of  days  skirmishing  with  the 
Rogue  River  Indians  who  had  stolen  some  of  their 
stock,  and  the  exploring  party  could  hear  the  reports 
of  their  guns  just  ahead  of  them  on  the  mountains. 
This  company  passed  down  the  trail  through  Shasta 
valley  into  California. 

It  was  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  1846,  that  the  road 
party  reached  Klamath  river,  nearly  two  months 
after  the  attack  on  Fremont's  camp.  Mr.  Apple- 
gate's  narrative  says :  "  Following  the  river  up  to 
where  it  leaves  the  Lower  Klamath  lake,  we  came 
to  a  riffle  where  it  seemed  possible  to  cross.  William 
Parker  waded  in  and  explored  the  ford.  It  was 
deep,  rocky  and  rapid,  but  we  all  passed  over  safely, 
and  then  proceeded  along  the  river  and  lake  shore 
for  a  mile  or  so,  when  we  came  into  the  main  valley 
of  the  Lower  Klamath  lake.  We  could  see  columns 
of  smoke  rising  in  every  direction;  for  our  presence 
was  already  known  to  the  Modocs.  and  the  signal 
fire  telegraph  was  already  in  active  operation. 
Moving  southward  along  the  shore  we  came  to  a 
little  stream,  (Hot  creek)  coming  in  from  the  south- 
ward, and  there  found  pieces  of  newspapers  and 
other  unmistakable  evidences  of  civilized  people 
having  camped  there  a  short  time  before.  We 
found  a  place  where  the  turf  had  been  cut  away, 
also  the  willows  near  the  bank  of  the  creek,  and 
horses  had  been  repeatedly  driven  over  the  place. 
As  there  were  many  places  where  animals  could  get 
water  without  this  trouble,  some  of  the  party  were 
of  the  opinion  that  some  persons  had  been  buried 
there,  and  that  horses  had  been  driven  over  the 
place  to  obliterate  all  marks,  and  thus  prevent  the 
Indians  from  disturbing  the  dead.  The  immense 
excitement  of  the  Indians  on  our  arrival  there 
strengthened  this  opinion.  *  *  *  At  this  place 
we  arranged  our  camp  on  open  ground,  so  that  the 
Indians  could  not  possibly  approach  us  without  dis- 
covery. It  is  likely  that  the  excitement  among  the 
Modocs  was  caused,  more  than  anything  else,  by  the 
apprehension  that  ours  was  a  party  sent  to  chastise 
them  for  their  attack  on  Fremont.  We  were  but  a 
handful  of  men  surrounded  by  hundreds  of  Indians, 
armed  with  their  poisoned  arrows,  but  by  dint  of 


atfllPP 


■ 


SAMUEL  JACKSON. 


MES.  SAMUEL  JACKSON. 


SAMUEL  JACKSON, 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry, 
the  second  son  and  third  child  of  a  family  of 
five  children,  and  was  born  near  Gainsboro,  Fred- 
erick county,  Virginia,  January  27,  1827.  His 
grandfather,  Samuel  Jackson,  was  a  native  of  Scot- 
land, and  his  grandfather  McVeagh,  was  of  Irish 
extraction.  They  both  came  to  Virginia  in  early 
times.  His  father,  Samuel  Jackson,  married  Miss 
Cynthia  McVeagh.  They  reared  a  family  of  five 
children,  viz.:  Benjamin  Franklin,  Margaret  Ann, 
Samuel,  Jonathan,  and  Ruth  Grace.  Samuel  worked 
on  his  father's  farm  until  about  twenty-two  years 
of  age,  when  he  went,  in  October,  1851,  on  a  visit 
to  Ohio,  where  he  spent  one  winter,  thence  to  Illinois 
and  later  to  St.  Louis.  From  there  he  went  to  New 
Orleans,  where  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  two 
returned  Californians,  whose  stories  of  life  on  the 
Pacific  coast  decided  him  to  come  hither  at  once. 
With  about  $500  in  his  pocket,  he  took  passage  on 
the  steamer  Cortez  bound  for  Panama,  and  on  the 
Pacific  side  on  the  California,  landing  at  San  Fr-an- 
cisco  in  November,  1852.  He  proceeded  to  Sacra- 
mento and  engaged  in  a  bakery  at  eighty  dollars 
per  month.  He  soon  went  to  a  place  called  Lower 
Springs,  near  Shasta,  and  began  mining.  Later  he 
went  to  Weaverville  and  mined  on  Big  and  French 
Bars.  In  the  fall  of  1853  he  i*emoved  to  Yreka,  but 
finding  it  dull  went  on  to  Cottonwood  where  he  had 
a  very  rich  claim  in  Rocky  gulch.  He  soon  sold 
this  for  the  paltry  sum  of  $250,  and  went  to  Virginia 
Bar,  so  named  by  Mr.  Jackson  and  his  friend  Good- 


night, who  was  also  a  Virginian.  They  brought  a 
ditch  on  to  this  claim  and  operated  the  mine  for  a 
time.  He  then  went  to  Shasta  valley  and  pur- 
chased the  place  he  now  lives  on  from  one  Wither- 
ell,  an  old  sailor.  The  improvements  consisted  of  a 
cabin  without  a  roof,  about  four  hundred  rails  made 
and  some  potatoes  planted.  He  remained  here  to 
raise  three  crops,  after  which  he  rented  the  place  and 
went  to  Greenhorn,  where  he  purchased  two  claims. 
After  operating  them  for  two  years,  he  decided  that 
farming  was  the  best  trade,  sold  out  and  returned 
to  where  he  now  lives.  Was  married  to  Miss  Caro- 
line Sherrill,  of  Independence  county,  Arkansas, 
January  10,  1861.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Alfred 
and  Margaret  Sherrill.  Her  father  was  a  native  of 
North  Carolina  and  her  mother  of  Tennessee.  The 
family  consists  of  four  living  and  two  deceased,  viz.: 
Haiwey  Edward,  born  October  31,  1861,  died  No- 
vember 8,  1867,  at  11  P.  M. ;  Thomas  Jefferson,  born 
August  31,  1863;  Rosa  Ellen,  born  January  23, 
1865,  died  November  8,  1867,  at  8  P.  M. ;  Samuel 
Henry,  born  August  14,  1868;  Alice  Virginia,  born 
March  8,  1870;  and  Jonathan  Franklin,  born  July 
1,  1872.  Mr.  Jackson's  first  purchase  in  Shasta 
valley  was  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  To 
this  he  has  continuously  added  until  he  now  has 
about  nine  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  well  stocked  with 
cattle  and  horses  and  well  improved  with  buildings 
and  fences.  Fruits  are  grown  in  great  abundance. 
He  has  a  fine  spring  of  water  which  is  pumped  by  a 
hydraulic  ram  to  a  supply  tank  from  which  it  is 
conducted  into  the  residence  through  pipes. 


ssfe-«^tlwk»j?: 


HISTORY  OF,  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


53 


great  care  and  vigilance  we  were  able  to  pass 
through  their  country  safely.  On  every  line  of 
travel  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  there  has  been 
great  loss  of  life,  from  a  failure  to  exercise  a  proper 
degree  of  caution,  and  too  often  have  reckless  and 
fool-hardy  men,  who  have,  through  a  want  of  proper 
care,  become  embroiled  in  difficulties  with  the  Indi- 
ans, gained  the  reputation  of  being  Indian  fighters 
and  heroes,  while  the  men  who  were  able  to  con- 
duct parties  in  safety  through  the  country  of  war- 
like savages,  escaped  the  world's  notice/' 

The  next  morning  the  expedition  left  Fremont's 
unfortunate  camp  on  Hot  creek,  found  and  crossed 
the  famous  natural  bridge  at  Lost  river,  and  located 
the  emigi'ant  road,  known  as  the  northern  route,  by 
way  of  Black  Rock  and  Rabbit  Hole  springs,  to 
the  Humboldt  river  and  Fort  Hall,  which  point  they 
l-eached  in  August.  Here  they  found  a  large 
number  of  emigrants,  some  bound  for  California,  but 
the  majority  for  Oregon.  Of  these  latter  they  per- 
suaded one  hundred  and  fifty,  with  forty-two 
wagons,  to  try  the  new  route  they  had  just  laid  out. 
Among  others  who  declined  to  go  this  way  and  kept 
.on  down  the  Humboldt  was  the  ill-fated  Donner 
party,  whose  terrible  sufferings  on  the  shore  of  Don- 
ner lake  that  long  and  cruel  winter  form  such  a 
sorrowful  page  in  the  history  of'  California.  The 
road  party  hastened  back  to  the  Willamette  valley, 
and  sent  oxen  and  horses  back  to  assist  the  emi- 
grants and  get  them  safely  to  the  valley.  The 
Modocs  scored  one  more  white  victim  that  fall,  for 
one  of  the  emigrants  loitered  behind  the  train  near 
Lost  river,  and  the  Indians  pounced  upon  him,  and 
took  his  scalp  to  their  island  home  in  the  lake.  From 
that  year  this  road  has  been  largely  used  by  emi- 
grants to  southern  Oregon  and  northern  California. 
In  18-18  the  old  pioneer,  Peter  Lassen,  led  a  com- 
pany of  emigrants  with  twelve  wagons  over  the  road, 
turning  off  at  Pit  river  and  going  down  that  stream, 
and  crossing  over  to  the  head  of  Feather  river, 
which  he  followed  down  to  the  valley.  This  route 
has  been  much  used  and  is  known  as  the  Lassen 
road. 

The  news  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  1848  did  not 
reach  Oregon  until  the  last  of  Auo-ust,  when  it  was 
brought  by  a  vessel  that  sailed  into  the  Columbia 
from  the  Sandwich  Islands.  Immediately  there  was 
great  excitement,  and  a  company  with  twenty 
wagons  started  overland  to  California,  while  as  many 
as  could  get  passage  on  the  few  vessels  that  were 
accessible  went  to  San  Francisco  by  sea.  Others 
passed  down  the  old  trail  through  Shasta  valley. 
The  wagons  turned  off  in  the  Rogue  River  valley 
and  followed  up  the  emigrant  road  to  Pit  river, 
where  they  came  upon  the  wagon  trail  made  by  Las- 
sen's party  a  few  weeks  before.  This  they  followed 
and  overtook  them  near  Lassen's  Butte,  at  the  head 
of  Feather  river,  out  of  provisions  anil  unable  to 
move.  By  the  aid  of  the  Oregonians  the  party 
I'eached  the  valley,  being  the  first  company  to  enter 
California  by  the  Lassen  road,  and  the  Oregonians 
being  the  first  to  take  wagons  from  Oregon  to  Cali- 
fornia. The  experience  of  Lassen's  party  was 
repeated  the  next  year,  when  a"  large  emigration 
came  over  that  route,  and  became  snowed  in,  and 
out  of  provisions  on  the  head-waters  of  the  Feather 
river.     When  word   of    their    precarious   situation 


reached  the  valley,  the  people  of  San  Francisco, 
Stockton  and  Sacramento,  who  remembered  the  sad 
fate  of  the  Donner  party,  made  a  great  effort  in  their 
behalf.  Their  condition  was  represented  to  General 
Percifer  F.  Smith,  who,  with  the  consent  of  General 
Bennett  Riley,  the  military  governor,  placed  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars  in  the  hands  of  Major 
Rucker,  United  States  Quartermaster,  to  purchase 
animals  and  supplies  for  their  relief.  The  military 
authorities  were  the  more  moved  to  this  act  of 
humanity  because  General  Wilson,  United  States 
Indian  Agent,  was  among  the  sufferers.  John  H. 
Peoples,  who  afterwards  was  drowned  in  one  of  the 
Trinidad  expeditions,  was  selected  to  lead  the  relief 
party.  About  the  first  of  October,  Mr.  Peoples  star- 
ted with  twenty-four  pack  animals,  three  wagons, 
and  fifty-six  beef  cattle,  having  twent37-five  men  in 
his  party.  He  found  the  emigrants  in  the  snow  on 
Pit  river,  out  of  food  and  suffering  with  the  scurvy. 
On  the  first  of  December,  he  brought  in  fifty  fami- 
lies to  Lassen's  l-anch,  including  General  Wilson's,  the 
last  thirty  miles  being  traversed  through  a  blinding 
snow-storm.  The  majority  of  the  emigrants  settled 
in  the  head  of  Sacramento  valley,  or  went  to  the 
Trinity  mines  in  the  early  spring. 

Quite  an  emigration  took  place  from  Oregon  to 
California  in  1849  and  the  next  two  years,  follow- 
ing the  old  trail  over  the  Siskiyou  mountain  and 
through  Shasta  valley.  In  June,  1849,  Lindsay 
Applegate  piloted  a  train  of  six  wagons,  the  first  to 
cross  the  Siskiyou,  and  passed  through  Shasta  valley 
and  as  far  as  a  little  valley  this  side  of  Strawberry 
valley,  where  they  stopped.  The  object  of  most  of 
the  company  was  to  find  a  good  place  to  settle,  hav- 
ing some  thought  of  doing  so  in  Shasta  valley,  but 
when  the}T  realized  how  shut  in  they  were  here  from 
the  outside  world  and  at  the  mercy  of  the  savages, 
they  decided  to  return.  Two  of  the  wagons  they 
took  back  with  them,  leaving  the  others,  the  little 
valley  having  been  ever  since  known  as  Wagon 
valley.  While  in  camp  at  that  place,  Applegate 
and  a  few  others  crossed  over  the  mountains  to  the 
westward  and  mined  a  few  days  on  the  head-waters 
of  Scott  river,  the  first  mining  ever  done  in  Siskiyou 
county. 

Late  in  the  fall  of  1849  a  party  of  nineteen 
deserters  from  the  United  States  forces  stationed  in 
Oregon  passed  through  here  en  route  for  the  lower 
gold  mines.  It  was  impossible  during  the  early  gold 
excitement  to  keep  soldiers  at  their  posts  for  the 
meagre  pay  they  received,  when  such  wonderful 
opportunities  of  getting  rich  lay  temptingly  before 
them.  They  deserted  on  all  sides.  General  Lane 
started  across  the  plains  in  184S  with  a  military 
escort,  to  organize  the  Territory  of  Oregon,  but 
when  he  reached  San  Francisco  the  only  attendant 
he  had  was  Joe  Meek,  United  States  Marshal  of  the 
Territory.  Thus  it  was  everywhere  the  gold  excite- 
ment spread  its  influence.  Among  this  party  was 
Fred  Deng,  well  remembered  in  Yreka  as  the 
founder  of  the  Yreka  Bakery,  a  name  that  spells 
with  equal  correctness  forward  or  backward.  They 
were  led  off  from  the  regular  trail  by  an  Indian  trail 
that  led  up  Willow  creek  back  of  Edson's,  and  came 
suddenly  upon  a  i-ancheria  of  Shastas  at  a  place  now 
called  Carr's  corral.  Before  they  recovered  from 
their  surprise,  the  Indians  naturally  thinking  them- 


54 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


selves  attacked,  fell  upon  them  fiercely,  and  before 
they  succeeded  in  driving  the  savages  away,  three 
of  the  soldiers  were  killed.  Nothing  but  the  superi- 
ority of  guns  over  bows  saved  them  from  utter 
annihilation,  and  as  soon  as  the  Indians  fled,  they 
also  departed  and  did  not  stop  to  camp  until  many 
miles  away.  Dr.  Hearn  has  in  his  cabinet  two  of 
the  bullets  fired  on  this  occasion,  dug  from  a  pine 
stump,  to  which  he  was  conducted  years  ago  by  a 
Shasta  Indian  who  related  the  occurrence  and 
pointed  out  the  spot.  Mr.  Deng  also  confirmed  the 
Indian  in  his  account  and  gave  the  details.  It  is, 
however,  a  subject  he  seldom  referred  to,  as  he  was 
a  deserter  from  the  army  and  did  not  desire  to 
refresh  the  minds  of  the  authorities  on  that  point. 

We  have  now  reviewed  all  that  is  known  of  the 
presence  of  white  men  in  Siskiyou  county  before  the 
magic  wand  of  gold  was  waved  above  her  mountain 
tops,  to  draw  a  band  of  restless  and  hardy  pioneers 
and  to  convert  a  wild  of  nature  into  the  home  of 
civilization.  The  trapper  came  and  went;  the  emi- 
grant and  the  traveler  passed  thi-ougb,  but  the 
country  still  remained  an  almost  unknown  wild. 
From  the  south  to  the  north  and  from  the  north  to 
the  south  men  had  passed,  but  it  is  to  the  west  we 
must  look  for  the  men  who  laid  the  foundation  and 
built  upon  it. 

There  is  one  event  in  the  early  history  of  this 
region  that  is  shrouded  in  mystery,  though  efforts 
are  being  made  to  clear  it  up.  The  story  is  best  told 
by  Hon.  E.  Steele  in  a  letter  to  the  Yreha  Journal, 
November  4,  1874.  Mr.  Steele  says:  "When? 
By  Whom?  And  Why  ?  The  above  inquiry  was 
suggested  to  my  mind  on  arriving  at  Battle's  milk 
ranch,  on  the  north  fork  of  McCloud  river,  on  my 
late  visit  to  Modoc  county.  At  the  ranch  I  met  the 
old  gentleman,  Mr.  Battle,  who  asked  me  to  take  a 
walk  with  him  to  the  summit  of  a  hill  on  th*  north 
side  of  the  river,  and  about  six  hundred  yards  dis- 
tant therefrom,  to  examine  an  old  trough  that  he 
had  unearthed  there.  On  arriving  at  the  spot 
designated,  I  found  a  trough  about  sixteen  feet  long, 
about  eighteen  inches  wide  and  a  foot  deep,  dug  out 
of  a  cedar  tree,  that  lay  under  the  surface  of  the 
ground  about  three  feet,  and  was  much  decayed  by 
time.  The  trough  had  been  hewn  out  of  a  tree 
about  two  feet  through,  as  near  as  I  could  judge, 
and  then  the  inside  burned,  the  work  bearing  evi- 
dences of  having  been  executed  with  a  good  sharp 
axe  and  by  a  handy  axeman.  It  was  buried  in  the 
summit  of  the  hill  in  a  red  clay  soil,  and  had  lain 
there  until  it  had  nearly  decayed,  the  form  and 
character  of  the  wood  and  the  charred  coating  of 
the  inside  only  remaining.  The  earth  had  been  so 
long  upon  it,  that  it  had  assumed  its  natural  appear- 
ance of  an  undisturbed  soil,  no  evidence  being  dis- 
cernable  of  its  ever  having  been  dug,  roots  of  the 
shrubs  and  trees  passing  all  through  the  clay  above 
the  trough.  Upon  the  surface  of  the  ground,  lying 
lengthwise  over  the  spot  upon  which  the  trough  was 
buried,  was  an  old  pine  tree,  about  three  feet  in 
diameter,  which  had  blown  down  since  the  ground 
had  been  disturbed,  in  falling  burying  some  of  its 
branches  a  foot  or  more  into  the  soil,  and  which  had 
lain  thus  until  it  was  nearly  rotted  away,  the  por- 
tion directly  over  the  trough  having  been  consumed 
by  fire.      About  ten  feet  from  the   south   end   of 


the  trough,  were  some  old,  rusty  gunlocks,  buried 
about  one  foot  under  ground. 

The  only  account  which  we  can  get  of  the  trough 
was  the  history  of  its  burial,  as  given  by  an  aged 
Indian,  which  induced  the  excavation  by  Mr.  Bat- 
tle. The  Indian's  story  was,  that  when  he  was  a 
small  boy,  three  white  men.  a  people  before  then 
never  seen  by  the  Indians,  were  discovei'ed  by  him 
making  a  cache"  of  blankets,  etc.,  in  this  trough  or 
canoe,  as  he  called  it.  He  went  to  the  spot,  and 
after  looking  around  for  a  while,  he  fixed  upon  a 
place  to  commence  digging,  and  there  found  the  old 
gunlocks  and  some  other  trifling  things,  but  not  his 
canoe.  He  again  made  observation,  arid  fixed  upon 
another  place  about  ten  feet  further  north,  and  on 
digging  there  the  canoe  was  found  in  it.  He  fur- 
ther said  there  was  a  camp  of  other  white  men  at 
the  time,  about  fifteen  miles  off)  which  was  dis- 
covered by  the  Indians,  and  the  white  men  killed. 
Then  these,  he  said,  left.  He  could  give  no  date  or 
time  other  than  that  it  was  when  he  was  a  small 
boy,  and  he  is  now  an  old  man  probably  fifty  years 
or  upwards.  The  Indians  undoubtedly  raised  the 
cache,  as  nothing  was  found  in  the  trough,  and  no 
cover  over  it,  the  hollow  side  being  upwards. 

In  connection  with  this  discovery  and  the  tale  of 
the  Indian,  it  will  be  remembered  that  the  party  of 
Hudson  Bay  Company  men,  under  McLeod,  when 
caught  by  the  snows  of  winter,  cacheYl  their  furs 
and  other  articles  somewhere  on  the  McLeod  river, 
which  they  went  back  for  afterwards,  but  found  to 
be  spoiled.  None  of  this  party  was  killed  by  natives, 
and  in  that  respect,  the  stoiy  of  the  Indian  does  not 
tally.  On  this  subject  Stephen  Meek  says  that  Mc- 
Leod's  (whose  name  he  says  was  John  McCloud) 
party  was  attacked  on  this  river  by  the  Indians, 
and  all  killed  but  McLeod  himself  and  one  com- 
panion, who  succeeded  in  making  their  way  back  to 
Vancouver  after  many  months  of  privation  and  ter- 
rible suffering.  The  information  about  McLeod 
came  from  J.  Alexander  Forbes,  for  years  agent  of 
the  Hudson  Bay  Company  in  California,  and  author 
of  Forbes  California,  written  in  1835  and  published 
in  London  in  1839,  and  presumed  to  be  far  better 
posted  on  the  subject  than  Mr.  Meek,  although  the 
latter  gentleman  assures  us  that  he  has  often  con- 
versed with  McLeod  about  the  affair.  There  is  still 
another  direction  in  which  we  may  look  for  a  clue 
to  t^e  mystery.  Last  fall  a  government  agent 
passed  through  here,  seeking  traces  of  an  old  explor- 
ing expedition  sent  out  a  number  of  years  before 
Fremont  visited  the  coast,  and  which  never  returned. 
By  patient  and  careful  search,  he  had  followed  them 
to  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Sierra,  in  Northern 
Nevada,  but  had  there  lost  all  trace  of  them.  An 
effort  is  being  made  to  secure  the  old  gunlocks  that 
were  found,  so  that  by  them  some  clue  to  their 
unfortunate  possessors  may  be  obtained.  By  the 
carelessness  of  thoughtless  parties  these  relics  have 
been  mislaid,  but  hope  is  entertained  of  finding 
them,  and  thus,  possibly,  of  answering  the  question, 
who  were  they? 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

SETTLEMENT  BY  GOLD  SEEKERS. 

To  WHAT  is  generally  known  as  the  Trinity  excite- 
ment, we  must  look  for  the  opening  up  and  settle- 
ment of  this  region.  The  Trinity  mines  and  the 
anxiety  to  get  to  them,  led  to  many  expeditions 
along  the  coast,  the  discovery  of  Trinidad  and 
Humboldt  bays,  the  mouth  of  the  Klamath,  and 
Salmon  and  Scott  rivers,  bringing  thousands  into  this 
region,  and  transforming  it  in  one  year  from  a  beau- 
tiful wilderness  to  the  home  of  civilization,  and 
making  its  hills  resound  to  the  unaccustomed  sound 
of  the  axe,  the  rattle  of  the  rocker,  the  shout  of  the 
packer  and  the  merry  laugh  of  the  miner. 

In  1858,  Major  Pearson  B.  Reading,  the  old  trap- 
per and  pioneer  Californian,  who  settled  upon  his 
ranch  in  Cottonwood  creek,  Shasta  county,  in  1847, 
gave  the  following  account  of  the  first  mining  in 
northern  California.  At  the  time  he  named  it, 
Trinity  river  was  not  an  unknown  stream  to  the 
trappers  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  who  were 
familiar  with  every  stream  of  consequence  in  this 
portion  of  the  state;  that  they  had  ever  given  it  a 
name,  however,  is  uncertain;  if  so,  it  is  unknown  to 
history : — 

In  the  spring  of  1S45,  I  left  Sutter's  fort  for  the  purpose  of 
trapping  the  waters  of  Upper  California  and  Oregon.  My  party 
consisted  of  thirty  men,  with  one  hundred  head  of  horses.  In 
the  month  of  May,  I  crossed  the  mountains  from  the  Sacramento 
river,  near  a  point  now  called  the  Backbone;  in  about  twenty 
miles'  travel  reached  the  banks  of  a  large  stream,  which  I  called 
the  Trinity,  supposing  it  led  into  Trinity  bay,  as  marked  on 
the  old  Spanish  charts.  I  remained  on  the  river  about  three 
weeks,  engaged  in  trapping  beaver  and  otter;  found  the  Indians 
very  numerous,  but  friendly  disposed.  On  leaving  the  Trinity 
I  crossed  the  mountains  at  a  point  which  led  me  to  the  Sacra- 
mento river,  about  ten  miles  below  the  Soda  springs.  I  then 
passed  into  the  Shasta  and  Klamath  settlements,  prosecuting  my 
hunt.  Having  been  successful,  returned  in  the  fall  to  Sutter's 
fort. 

In  the  month  of  July,  1S48,  I  crossed  the  mountains  of  the 
Coast  Range,  at  the  head  of  middle  Cottonwood  creek;  struck  the 
Trinity  at  what  is  now  called  Reading's  bar;  prospected  for  two 
days,  and  found  the  bars  rich  in  gold;  returned  to  my  house  on 
Cottonwood,  and  in  ten  days  fitted  out  an  expedition  for  mining 
purposes;  crossed  the  mountains  where  the  trail  passed  about 
two  years  since  from  Shasta  to  Weaver. 

My  party  consisted  of  three  white  men,  one  Delaware,  one 
Walla  Walla,  one  Chinook  and  about  sixty  Indians  from  the 
Sacramento  valley.  With  this  force  I  worked  the  bar  bearing 
my  name.  I  had  with  me  one  hundred  and  twenty  head  of  cat- 
tle, with  an  abundant  supply  of  other  provisions.  After  about  six 
weeks'  work,  parties  came  in  from  Oregon,  who  at  once  protested 
against  my  [ndian  labor.  I  then  left  the  stream  and  returned  to 
my  home,  where  I  have  since  remained,  in  the  enjoyment  of  the 
tranquil  life  of  a  farmer. 

Mr.  Reading  has,  no  doubt,  placed  his  mining 
expedition  one  year  too  early,  and  should  have  said 
in  1849,  or  else  he  went  back  again  the  next  year, 
something  that  his  language  implies,  though  it  does 
not  positively  state,  he  did  not  do.  At  all  events  he 
did  go  to  Trinity  river  in  the  summer  of  1849,  for  a 
report  of  his  trip  was  given  by  the  Placer  Times  of 
Sacramento  in  August  of  that  year.  In  June, 
1849.  Major  Reading  started  from  his  ranch  with  a 
small  party  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  this  stream. 
They  went  up  Clear  creek  and  then  crossed  the 
mountains  to  the  river,  going  up  the  stream  some 
distance  and  finding  gold  in  abundance.  About  the 
first  of  August  they  returned  to"  the  Sacramento 
valley,  and  reported  that  they  had  made  forty 
dollars  per  day  to  the  man,  for  the  few  days  they 
had  worked.     They  also  laid  considerable  stress  on 


the  fact  that  in  crossing  the  summit  they  had 
camped  one  night  above  the  snow  line.  Oregonians 
could  not  have  disturbed  him  in  1848,  as  news  of 
the  gold  discovery  did  not  reach  Oregon  until  Sep- 
tember of  that  year. 

The  effect  of  such  a  statement  as  this  can  well  be 
imap-ined.  Emigrants  were  then  coining  down  from 
Oregon,  or  entering  the  upper  end  of  the  Sacra- 
mento valley  by  the  Lassen  route  from  across  the 
plains,  and  while  most  of  these  preferred  to  go  on  to 
the  well-known  mines  farther  south,  a  few  were 
venturesome  enough  to  cross  the  high  mountains  to 
Trinity  river.  In  this  way  quite  a  number  of 
miners  gathered  and  worked  on  the  banks  of  the 
Trinity  in  the  fall  of  1849.  The  reports  sent  out 
and  brought  out  by  these  men  created  quite  a  fever 
of  excitement,  but  the  fear  of  the  rigors  of  winter 
were  so  great  that  few  dared  to  go  into  the  mount- 
ains  until  spring,  and  the  majority  of  those  who 
were  on  the  river  in  the  fall  went  back  to  the  valley 
for  the  same  reason. 

The  error  made  by  Major  Reading  in  supposing 
that  the  river  he  had  named  Trinity  flowed  into  the 
old  Trinidad  bay  of  the  Spanish  explorers  was  com- 
municated to  others  and  became  the  general  opinion. 
It  was  then  conceived  that  the  best  route  to  the 
mines  must  be  to  go  to  Trinidad  bay  in  a  vessel  and 
thence  up  the  river  to  the  mines.  All  that  was 
known  of  the  bay  was  the  record  of  the  explorers 
and  the  indication  of  such  a  place  at  an  indefinite 
point  on  the  northern  coast.  To  find  Trinidad  bay, 
then,  became  the  next  and  the  all-absorbing  question. 
It  had  been  discovered  by  an  exploring  expedition, 
consisting  of  a  frigate  commanded  by  Bruno  Ezerta 
and  a  sloop  under  Juan  de  la  Quadra  Y.  Bodega,  on 
the  eleventh  of  June,  1775.  This  was  the  Sunday 
of  the  Holy  Trinity,  and  the  bay  was  named  Trini- 
dad in  consequence.  As  the  bay  discovered  by  the 
Americans  and  named  Trinidad  is  an  open  roadstead 
and  scarcely  deserves  the  name  of  bay,  it  is  probable 
that  the  one  the  Spaniards  christened  Trinidad  was 
the  one  known  to  us  as  Humboldt  bay. 

As  early  as  March,  1848,  a  call  was  made  in  San 
Francisco  for  a  public  meeting  to  take  steps  to 
re-discover  and  explore  Trinidad  bay,  to  see  what 
kind  of  a  harbor  it  presented  and  what  was  the 
character  of  the  country  tributary  to  it.  The 
announcement  of  the  gold  discovery  at  Sutter's  mill, 
however,  put  an  end  to  all  such  designs,  and  the 
matter  lay  in  abeyance  until  the  reports  from  the 
Trinity  mines  revived  it. 

In  the  month  of  November,  1S49,  two  parties 
left  the  Trinity  mines  to  discover  the  desired  harbor. 

One  of  these  went  over  to  the  Sacramento  valley, 
and  down  to  San  Francisco,  where  they  commenced 
fitting  out  a  sea  expedition.  The  other  party,  con- 
sisting of  Josiah  Gregg,  L.  K.  Wood,  D.  A.  Buck, 
— Van  Dusen,  J.  B.  Truesdall,  C.  C.  Southard,  Isaac 
Wilson  and  T.  Sebing,  followed  down  the  Trinity  to 
the  Bald  hills,  and  then  crossed  over  to  the  coast, 
thus  failing  to  discover  the  fact  that  the  Trinity  did 
not  empty  into  the  ocean  direct.  They  came  upon 
the  coast  at  Mad  river,  which  was  named  by  them 
because  Gregg  flew  into  a  passion  there  when  some 
of  the  party  wanted  to  abandon  the  enterprise  and 
not  go  up  the  coast  a  few  miles  to  examine  a  bay 
the  Indians  told  them  lay  in  that  direction.     They 


56 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


had  endured  many  hardships  on  the  mountains,  and 
now  gladly  accepted  the  fish  the  Indians  offered 
them.  As  directed  by  the  natives  they  went  up 
the  coast  and  discovered  a  bay  about  fifteen  miles 
long  and  eight  wide,  supposing  the  river  and  bay  to 
be  the  Trinity  and  the  Trinidad.  These  were  in 
reality  Mad  river  and  Trinidad  bay.  From  this 
point  they  traveled  south  inland  and  soon  came 
upon  a  stream  whence  they  found  Indians  taking- 
fish  in  great  abundance.  They  named  the  stream 
Eel  river,  and  continued  up  its  banks  and  through  the 
Coast  Range  to  Sonoma,  reaching  there  some  time  in 
February.  The  news  that  Trinidad  bay  had  been 
discovered  spread  like  wildfire,  and  a  dozen  expedi- 
tions began  to  fit  out,  a  few  by  land  but  most  of 
them  by  sea,  some  of  them  having  members  of  the 
late  exploring  party  connected  with  them,  and  some 
"going  it  blind"  on  general  principles. 

Meanwhile,  the  other  party  that  had  come  down 
to  San  Francisco  in  November  had  chartered  the 
brig  Cameo,  and  sailed  on  the  ninth  of  December. 
They  utterly  failed  to  find  any  such  bay,  and 
returned  with  the  report  that  Trinidad  was  a  myth, 
only  to  be  greeted  by  the  appearance  of  the  land 
party  and  the  assurance  that  it  certainly  did  exist. 
Away  sailed  the  Cameo  again,  followed  by  the 
others  as  rapidly  as  they  could  be  gotten  ready. 

Up  and  down  the  coast  they  sailed,  meeting  with 
numerous  adventures  and  mishaps,  but  failing 
utterly  to  find  any  bay.  Some  of  them  returned 
with  reports  of  their  ill  success,  claiming  the  bay  to 
be  a  myth,  while  others  still  maintained  the  search. 
The  return  of  the  unsuccessful  searchers  did  not 
restrain  others  from  attempting  the  voyage.  Ships 
sailed  loaded  with  adventurers,  some  of  them  being 
on  the  cooperative  plan,  while  others  charged  from 
fifty  to  one  hundred  dollars  for  passengers.  In  this 
way  the  Cameo,  Sierra  Nevada,  James  R.  Whiting, 
Isabel,  Arabian,  General  Morgan,  Hector,  Califor- 
nia, Paragon,  Laura  Virginia,  Jacob  M.  Ryerson, 
Malleroy,  Galincla,  and  Patapsco,  had  all  gone  in 
search  of  the  mysterious  bay  by  the  first  of  April, 
1850,  at  which  time  news  of  its  discovery  reached 
San  Francisco  from  passengers  of  the  Cameo,  the 
first  to  sail  and  the  first  to  discover,  though  not  till 
three  months  afterwards,  the  long-sought  harbor. 
On  the  sixteenth  of  March,  1S50,  the  Cameo 
rounded  to  ofi'  Trinidad  heads  and  sent  a  boat's  crew 
to  examine  a  point  that  made  out  into  the  sea. 
This  crew,  among  whom  was  W.  C.  R.  Smith, 
rounded  the  point  and  found  the  entrance  to  a  har- 
bor which  they  believed  to  be  the  long-sought  Trin- 
idad. The  Cameo  was  compelled  to  sail  on  account 
of  the  stormy  weather,  and  proceeded  to  Point  St. 
George  where  she  landed  her  passengers,  unaware 
that  the  men  in  the  boat  had  discovered  the  bay. 
The  deserted  men  explored  the  bay,  near  the  head  of 
which  they  found  a  tree  with  the  following  inscrip- 
tion:— 

Lat.  41°  3'  32" 

Barometer  29°  86' 

Ther.  Fah.  48°  at  12  M. 

Dec.  7,  1849.     J.  Gregg. 

This  was  the  record  left  by  the  other  party,  and 

proved   the   truth  of  their  story  about  having  seen 

the  bay.     Some  twenty  miles  north  of  the  bay  they 

discovered  a  river  entering  the  ocean,  which  they 


suppused  to  be  the  Trinity.  They  were  on  shore 
eight  days  and  were  nearly  starved,  when  the  Laura  I 
Virginia  arrived  in  the  offing  and  was  piloted  in  by 
the  hungry  explorers,  being  the  first  vessel  to  enter 
the  harbor.  She  was  soon  followed  by  the  James 
R.  Whiting  and  California.  The  California  sailed 
for  San  Francisco  on  March  28th,  with  news  that 
the  bay  had  been  found  and  the  Cameo  supposed  to 
be  lost. 

The  reception  of  this  news  created  great  excite- 
ment, and  a  large  number  of  vessels  were  at  once 
advertised  to  sail  for  Trinidad  with  freight  and  pas- 
sengers. The  excitement  caused  by  the  return  of  I 
the  Gregg  party  was  by  no  means  confined  to  San 
Francisco,  nor  to  expeditions  by  sea.  A  party  left 
Napa  valley  for  Trinidad  overland,  early  in  April, 
followed  soon  by  another.  The  following  communi- 
cation appear-ed  in  the  Alta,  April  10: — 

"  HO  !    FOE    TRINITY  ! 

"  Messrs.  Editors: — From  the  reports  of  persons 
who  lately  came  into  Napa  and  Sonoma  valleys 
from  an  exploration  of  the  country  around  the  Trin- 
ity, there  remains  no  doubt  of  the  great  richness  of 
the  mines  in  that  region.  Already  large  bodies  of 
practical  and  experienced  miners  are  on  the  move  in 
that  direction.  The  mines  are  reached  by  an  easy 
route,  only  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  distant  from 
the  head  of  Napa  valley,  in  an  almost  northerly 
course,  passing  on  the  westerly  side  of  Clear  lake, 
some  five  or  six  miles  above  the  head  of  the  lake, 
through  a  prairie  gap  to  the  head-waters  of  the  Rus- 
sian river,  and  thence  by  a  good  trail  to  a  branch  of 
the  Trinity,  where  rich  deposits  of  gold  are  found. 
By  this  route  a  large  party,  headed  by  Charles  Hop- 
per, left  Napa  valley  at  the  close  of  last  month. 
Another  party  will  leave  Napa  on  the  eleventh  of 
the  month  by  the  Clear  lake  road,  among  whom  are 
John  Walker  and  that  old  mountaineer,  Aaron 
Adams.         Yours,  etc.,  J.   W.  B." 

On  the  twenty-ninth  of  March,  the  day  after  the 
California  sailed  from  Trinidad  with  the  news  of 
its  discovery,  Capt.  Douglass  Ottinger,  of  the  Laura 
Virginia,  also  weighed  anchor  and  sailed  from  the 
harbor  to  see  what  else  he  could  find.  A  few  days 
later  he  discovered  and  entered  a  fine  bay  a  few- 
miles  to  the  south  which  he  named  Humboldt,  after 
the  renowned  traveler,  and  located  the  town  of  Hum- 
boldt. 

Late  in  March  Selim  Franklin,  C.  E.  Gordon, 
Captain  McDonald  and  G.  Chandler,  with  two  sail- 
ors, left  San  Francisco  in  a  whale  boat  in  search  of 
Trinidad.  Early  in  April  they  came  to  the  mouth 
of  Eel  river,  which  they  supposed  to  be  the  Trinity. 
The  schooner  Jacob  M.  Ryerson  appeared  a  few 
hours  later,  and  the  two  companies  united  in  explor- 
ing the  stream  a  distance  of  forty  miles,  finding  deep 
water.  A  town  was  laid  out,  and  some  of  the  men 
went  overland  to  Trinidad  to  get  goods  that  had 
been  shipped  to  that  point.  Franklin  returned  from 
there  to  San  Francisco  to  procure  supplies  and  to 
advertise  the  new  town,  which  he  did  by  assuring 
every  one  that  the  river  led  direct  to  the  mines, 
though  he  had  no  evidence  of  the  fact  beyond  his 
hope  that  it  was  true. 

A  few  days  prior  to  this,  however,  Eel  river  had 
ao-ain  been  discovered  and  named.     Samuel  Bran- 


MES.  A.  M.  JOHNSON. 


ALEXANDER  M.  JOHNSON, 

Son  of  William  and  Mindwell  Johnson,  was  born  in 
Jefferson  county,  New  York,  August  2,  1829.  His 
grandfather  on  the  maternal  side  served  as  a  lieu- 
tenant in  the  Revolutionary  war.  Alexander  lived 
with  an  uncle  in  Jifferson  county  until  the  age  of 
nine,  when  they  removed  to  Jefferson  county,  Wis- 
consin, where  he  lived  until  the  year  1843  when  he 
went  to  St.  Charles,  Kane  county,  Illinois,  his 
parents  being  residents  of  that  place.  The  following 
spring  Alexander  left  heme  and  worked  four  months 
on  a  farm  in  the  same  county.  In  the  summer  of 
1.844  hejomneyed  to  St.  Louis  on  a  steamer,  return- 
ing to  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  river,  where  he 
engaged  in  lumbering  till  1853,  clearing  87,000  dur- 
ing that  time  from  the  business.  During  the  same 
year,  on  the  first  of  April,  he  left  Illinois  for  Ore- 
gon, crossing  the  vast  plains  of  the  west  and  arriving 
in  the  Willamette  valley  in  September.  He  com- 
menced life  there  as  a  wood  chopper,  contracting 
with  Mr.  White  to  cut  one  hundred  cords  of  wood  at 
two  dollars  per  cord.  He  afterwards  went  south  to 
Douglas  county,  and  took  up  a  donation  land  claim 
of  160  acres,  on  which  he  remained  till  the  Indian 
war  broke  out  in  1855-56.  During  the  trouble  with 
the  aborigines  Mr.  Johnson  was  employed  by  the 
government  in  the  commissary  department.  In  the 
the  spring  of  1856  he  purchased  a  band  of  cattle  and 
drove  them  through  to  Siskiyou  county.     He  made 


a  trip  back  to  Oiegon  to  sell  his  farm  and  then 
returned,  giving  his  attention  to  the  cattle  business 
till  1859  in  the  Sacramento  valley,  and  closing  out 
all  his  cattle  interests  there  in  the  fall  of  that  year. 
He  then  returned  to  Siskiyou  and  in  1860  bought  a 
farm  hei'e.  In  the  spring  of  1864  he  bought  an 
interest  in  the  Union  mills  of  Etna  and  engaged  in 
buying  and  selling  grain.  Selling  out  the  mill 
property  and  grain  business  in  1865,  he  opened  a 
meat  market  and  continued  in  the  butchering  busi- 
ness till  1869.  In  1867  Mr.  Johnson  went  by 
steamer  to  New  York,  visiting  Washington  and 
traveling  through  many  of  the  Eastern  States.  He 
came  back  to  Siskiyou  in  1868.  In  1870  he  sold  out 
the  meat  business  and  went  to  farming,  moving  in 
1872  to  the  residence  he  now  occupies.  On  the  six- 
teenth of  October,  1870,  he  married  Miss  Anna 
Smith,  who  was  born  in  Savannah,  Carrol  county, 
Illinois,  October  18,  1853.  Their  children  born  in 
Etna,  are  as  follows :  Effie  May,  born  July  20,  1872 ; 
Daisy  Dean,  July  14,  1874;  Anna  Grace,  January 
6,  1876;  John  James,  September  17,  1877;  Clay, 
September  18,  1879.  Since  1872  Mr.  Johnson  has 
engaged  in  quartz  and  silver  mining.  He  is  one  of 
the  solid  men  of  Siskiyou  county,  owning  some  of 
the  best  mining  property  and  water  rights  in  the 
county.  He  is  a  man  of  great  force  of  character  and 
one  eminently  deserving  of  the  high  esteem  and 
warm  friendship  which  are  universally  felt  for  him. 


i 


1  >L 


5**^^ff         -*5*r- 


z 

D 
O    u 


<  a 


uj  - 

(J  < 

z  jr 

lit  UJ 

O 


.U~. 


5$1*  to- 


111 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


57 


nan  had  fitted  out  the  schooner  General  Morgan, 
commanded  by  his  brother  John,  and  on  the  fifth  of 
April  anchored  off'  the  mouth  of  Eel  river,  the  Laura 
Virginia  also  coming  to  anchor  there.  Two  boats, 
each  commanded  by  a  Brannan,  entered  the  river 
which  they  named  Brannan  river,  followed  by  a 
boat  from.Ottinger's  vessel,  which  was  swamped  in 
the  surf  and  Julius  S.  Rowan  drowned.  The  Laura 
Virginia  then  sailed  north  and  found  and  entered 
Humboldt  bay.  The  Brannans  explored  the  river 
some  distance,  and  the  next  day  crossed  a  neck 
of  land  at  the  foot  of  a  high  bluff,  which  they 
named  Brannan  bluff,  dragging  their  boat  after 
them,  and  entered  Humboldt  bay.  To  this  they 
gave  the  name  of  Mendocino  bay,  after  the  cape 
not  far  distant,  apparently  forgetting  to  apply 
the  name  Brannan  to  it,  also.  They  rowed  to  the 
the  head  of  the  bay  and  then  walked  along  the  coast 
to  Trinidad,  where  R.  A.  Parker  and  his  company 
received  them  hospitably.  Parker  had  entered 
Trinidad  with  the  schooner  James  R.  Whiting, 
accompanied  by  Charles  C.  Southard,  of  the  Gregg 
party,  J.  C.  Campbell,  living  at  Etna,  Frank  Lem- 
mon,  Thomas  J.  Roach,  Robert  Atherton,  Myers,  a 
surveyor,  and  William  Hawks.  This  party  had 
commenced  to  lay  out  a  city,  and  invited  Brannan's 
company  to  unite  with  them.  This  was  done,  and 
all  was  harmonious  until  the  question  of  a  division 
of  lots  was  raised,  and  then  there  was  trouble. 
Parker's  party  was  much  smaller  than  the  other, 
and  wanted  half  the  lots,  while  Brannan  insisted 
they  should  be  divided  in  proportion  to  the  number 
of  men.  The  controversy  ended  in  Brannan  getting 
very  angry,  swearing  considerably,  and  he  was  an 
artistic  swearer,  and  taking  his  departure  with  his 
whole  company;  and  thus  the  only  capitalist  in  both 
parties  was  driven  away.  He  went  to  point  St. 
George  and  then  to  San  Francisco  in  disgust.  Mem- 
bers of  his  company  decided  to  start  a  town  on 
Mendocino  (Humboldt)  bay  and  cut  a  canal  through 
to  Brannan  (Eel)  river,  which  was  to  be  their  high- 
way to  the  mines.  v  * 

Of  the  town  of  Trinidad  the  following  letter  in 

the  Alta  speaks  : — 

Trinidad  Bay,  April  10,  1S50. 
I  arrived  here  to-day  in  the  brig  Isabel;  immediately  went  on 
shore  and  laid  out  part  of  a  town.  1  surveyed  about  ten  fifty- 
vara  lots,  taking  K.  A.  Parker's  south  base  line  for  my  north 
lines  and  his  west  lines  for  my  west  lines,  bordering  on  the 
Indian  vdlage  to  the  east,  and  running  down  to  the  vfater.  I 
immediately  built  a  house,  and  erected  the  American  flag  some 
sixty  or  seventy  feet  above  the  hill.  This  hill  (or  kuoll  I 
intended  for  an  observatory.  We  have  called  oV  location 
Warnersville.  Below  we  have  a  fine  valley,  dotted  with  many 
fine  trees  and  a  fine  soil.  Already  we  have  made  many  improve- 
ments, put  up  several  houses  and  made  a  r<>ad  to  the  hill.  This 
place  we  call  Isabel  valley,  at  which  we  have  left  some  men  to 
improve  in  our  absence.  Trinidad  possesses  a  fine  climate  and  a 
soil  adapted  to  cultivation.  As  yet  we  have  not  learned  the 
correct  distance  to  the  mines,  but  believe  it  to  be  about  forty 
miles.  A  party  of  Canadians  have  just  arrived,  consisting  of 
fourteen  men  and  two  females,  with  sixteen  fine  pack  horses. 
They  bring  flattering  news  from  Trinity  river.  Tl  is  place 
abounds  with  all  kinds  of  game  and  fine  woodlands.  The  bay  is 
a  good  harbor  with  all  winds  except  south  and  south-west;  those 
blow  directly  into  the  harbor.  The  correct  latitude  of  the  bay 
is  41°  5'  56".  Improvements  are  progressing  with  the  utmost 
rapidity-  Mr.  B.  A.  Parker  put  up  the  first  house,  Mr.  Van 
Wyck  the  second,  and  myself  the  third.  We  had  an  election  on 
the  thirteenth,  and  chose  an  Alcalde,  Second  Alcalde  and 
Sheriff.  We  polled  one  hundred  and  forty  votes.  What  do 
you  think  of  that  for  a  town  three  days  old  ?  This  place  has 
fine  streams  of  good  fresh  water.  We  fouud  a  number  of  Indi- 
ans, but  they  are  inclined  to  be  peaceable.     Bark  Qa\ind,a  lost 


three  passengers,  hrig  Arabian  five,  and  schooner  General  Morgan 
one.  These  men  were  lost  in  landing  in  the  breakers  below  the 
port.  Yours,         Captain  B.  V.  Warner, 

Of  brig  Isabel. 

Captain  Warner  was  mistaken  about  the  men  lost, 
for  it  was  the  Laura  Virginia  and  not  the  General 
Morgan  that  lost  a  man,  off  the  mouth  of  Eel  river. 
The  five  men  lost  by  the  Arabian  were  Lieutenant 
Bache,  United  States  Navy,  Lieutenant  Browning, 
United  States  Navy,  John  H.  Peoples,  W.  W. 
Cheshire  and  John  Purdy,  their  boat  being  capsized 
in  the  surf,  four  miles  below  Point  St.  George. 
Besides  these  disasters  the  Paragon,  Eclipse  and 
several  other  vessels  ran  aground  on  the  bar  at  the 
entrance  of  Humboldt  bay,  or  else  were  stranded  in 
the  surf  off  Trinidad.  This,  with  the  supposed  loss 
of  the  Cameo,  made  quite  a  string  of  disasters,  and 
gave  rise  to  the  following  briny  yarn,  whose  author 
is  unknown,  the  Alta  publishing  it  June  14,  1850. 
The  Cameo  did  not  meet  the  watery  grave  it  was 
supposed  to  be  resting  in  at  the  date  this  was  thrown 
upon  a  defenseless  world. 

THE  LEGEND  OF  THE  CAMEO; 

— CR  — 

THE  PHANTOM  BRIG. 


RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED  TO  SIR  ROBERT  RIDLEY. 


'Twas  many  years  ago, 

In  San  Francisco  bay, 
A  vessel  called  the  Cameo 

With  many  others  lay  ; 
For  stories  of  our  golden  sands 

Had  spread  throughout  the  world, 
And  vessels  there  from  every  land, 

Lay  with  their  sails  unfurled. 

Full  many  a  mountain  steep  was  scaled, 

And  many  a  rock  was  cleft ; 
Some  few  found  gold,  but  many  failed, 

And  were  of  life  bereft ; 
But  death  and  danger  still  were  spurned, 

The  tide  stili  "nward  rolled, 
And  all  creation  was  upturned, 

In  that  mad  search  for  gold. 

Ere  long  the  country  was  o'errun, 

And  gold  could  not  be  had, 
And  many  people  then  began 

To  talk  of  •' Trinidad"; 
And  some  affirmed  that  they  had  seen 

A  man,  who  heard  one  say 
He  knew  a  person  who  had  been 

In  sight  of  that  same  bay, 
And  that  some  forty  miles  from  there, 

He  dug  ten  thousand  pounds 
Of  sold,  and  any  one  might  share 

Who'd  go  and  ship  it  round. 

The  story  spread,  like  any  lie, 

A  party  sailed  in  haste, 
But  s  'On  returned — the  reason  why, 

They  could  not  find  the  place. 
Sir  Robert  Ridley  then  did  swear 

That  he  was  bound  to  go, 
And  he  would  cirry  people  there 

In  the  old  Cameo. 

The  victims  rushed  their  fare  to  pay, 

For  Robert  did  them  tell, 
That  he  would  surely  "find  the  bay, 

Or  run  the  brig  to  h — 1  " 
And  which  of  these  two  things  he  did 

Will  soon  appear  before  ye, 
If  ye  will  but  take  pains  to  read 

The  rest  of  this  true  story. 

The  day  of  sailing  came  at  last, 
And  all  were  there  on  hand  ; 

The  sails  were  set  and  soon  they  passed 
The  outmost  point  of  land. 

The  grog  was  good,  they  all  felt  gay, 
And  all  things  promised  well ; 


58 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


Says  Bob,  "  We'll  either  find  the  bay, 
Or  run  the  brig  to  h — 1. 

One  day  they  came  in  sight  of  land  ; 

A  party  went  on  shore ; 
But  none  of  all  that  lucky  band 

E'er  saw  the  Cameo  more  ; 
But  many  a  sailor  tells  a  tale 

Of  the  old  Cameo's  ghost, 
Doomed  to  the  end  of  time  to  sail 

Along  the  north-west  coast. 

Long  days,  and  weeks,  and  months  passed  on 

The  Cameo  ne'er  came  back  ; 
A  schooner,  called  the  Paragon, 

Was  started  on  her  track  ; 
For  still  the  golden  fever  raged, 

And  people  were  so  mad, 
As  ships  and  pilots  to  engage, 

To  go  to  Trinidad  ; 
And  all  along  that  rocky  shore, 

Where  e'er  a  boat  could  land, 
Some  one  would  start  a  canvas  store, 

And  a  large  city  plan. 

The  Paragon  had  sailed  some  time, 

When  one  morn,  just  at  light, 
The  wind  being  fair,  the  weather  fine, 

A  vessel  hove  in  sight ; 
And  with  a  glass  they  did  discern, 

What  much  they  wished  to  know, 
Her  name,  for  upon  her  stern 

It  was,  the  Cameo. 

The  men  on  board  the  Paragon 

Gazed  on  the  brig  with  fear, 
And  as  they  slowly  moved  along, 

Each  moment  drawing  near, 
And  saw  the  strange,  unearthly  look 

Of  vessel  and  of  crew, 
Their  limbs  as  with  an  ague  shook, 

And  pale  their  faces  grew  ; 
For  in  those  forms,  that  looked  so  wan, 

Those  pale  and  death-like  faces, 
They  recognized  full  many  a  man 

They'd  seen  in  other  places. 

Sir  Bobert  soon  the  schooner  hailed, 

And  wished  to  know  her  name, 
Where  she  was  bound,  and  when  she  sailed, 

And  from  what  port  she  came  ; 
And  when  the  answers  all  were  given, 

He  cried  in  accents  sad, 
"There  is  no  harbor  under  Heaven 

Called  'Bay  of  Trinidad.'  " 

And  sighs,  and  groans,  and  shrieks  were  heard, 

As  down  from  mortal  view, 
Beneath  the  wave  they  disappeared, 

That  phantom  brig  and  crew  ; 
And  while  they  gazed  in  sore  dismay, 

There  'rose  a  sulph'rous  smell, 
And  loud  was  heard,  "  We'll  find  the  bay, 

Or  run  the  brig  to  h — 1." 

That  night  the  schooner  anchored  near, 

And  there  arose  a  gale, 
Which  gave  the  crew  new  cause  of  fear, 

And  made  stout  hearts  to  quail ; 
For  ragged  rocks  were  all  around, 

'Gainst  which  the  waters  roared, 
Which  certainly  was  not  a  sound, 

To  comfort  those  on  board  ; 
And  all  prepared  to  meet  their  fate, 

And  thought  that  hope  was  vain, 
And  thronged  upon  the  deck  to  wait 

The  parting  of  the  chain. 

The  schooner  trembled  like  a  reed, 

Then  with  an  awful  shock, 
The  chain  gave  way,  and  on  with  speed 

She  hastened  towards  the  rock. 
But  cool  and  calm,  devoid  of  fear, 

Did  her  bold  captain  stand, 
And  clear  of  rock  her  course  did  steer 

Direct  upon  the  sand. 
The  crew  were  saved,  hut  there  she  lays, 

Dismantled  and  forlorn, 
The  prettiest  schooner  of  these  days, 

The  famous  Paragon. 


The  brig  Arabian  next  did  meet 

The  Cameo  on  the  wave, 
And  of  her  crew,  ere  sun  had  set, 

Five  found  a  watery  grave  ; 
For  when  the  phantom  brig  appears, 

Most  dire  is  the  effect ; 
The  sight  of  her  has  been  for  years 

Forerunner  of  a  wreck. 

But  onward  she  is  doomed  to  sail, 

Along  the  rock -bound  coast, 
And  when  most  loudly  roars  the  gale, 

Is  seen  the  Cameo's  ghost ; 
And  then  a  voice  is  heard  to  say, 
With  loud,  unearthly  yell, 
"By  God,  we'll  either  find  the  bay, 
Or  run  the  brig  to  h — 1." 
May  1st,  1850. 

Besides  the  town  of  Humboldt,  two  others  were 
laid  out  on  Humboldt  bay  in  April,  Eureka  and 
Uniontown,  that  became  its  rivals  as  well  as  Trini- 
dad. During  the  same  month  the  town  of  Reading 
was  laid  out  on  the  Sacramento  river  by  Major  P. 
B.  Reading,  as  a  supply  point  for  the  Trinity  mines. 
During  all  this  time  the  Trinity  mines  were  fast  fill- 
ing up  by  men  from  the  Sacramento  valley.  A 
number  had  wintered  there,  and  as  early  as  Febru- 
ary they  began  to  pour  in  across  Trinity  mountain, 
settling  generally  on  the  north  fork.  Many  were 
induced,  not  only  to  embark  in  the  sea  expeditions, 
but  to  hasten  overland  to  the  new  mines,  by  such 
letters  as  the  following  in  the  Sacramento  and  San 
Francisco  papers: — 

Sacramento  City,  March  9, 1S50. 

The  latest  news  from  Trinity  is  that  seven  men  and  two  boys 
have  just  arrived  iu  this  city  from  there  with  one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  J.  D.  Baker,  formerly  proprietor  of 
the  Brannan  House,  is  now  in  my  office  aud  tells  me  that  he  has 
seen  the  gold,  which  is  in  some  forty  large-sized  bags.  Mr. 
Moran,  one  of  the  party,  has  deposited  his  pirtion  at  Mr.  Lee's 
store  (formerly  Priest,  Lee  &  Co. ),  of  this  city.  Thepartyleft 
here  in  the  latter  part  of  December,  1S49.  Two  of  the  men  are 
from  New  York,  two  from  New  Jersev,  and  the  others  from 
Oregon.     Beat  this  from  the  southern  mines  if  you  can! 

When  communication  was  opened  between  the 
new  towns  on  the  coast  and  the  mines,  which  was 
not  effected  until  May, there  were  about  two  thousand* 
miners  on  the  river.  It  did  not  take  long  then  to 
get  the  topography  of  the  country  straightened  out. 
It  was  found  that  Eel  river  was  by  no  means  a  high- 
way to  the  mines,  and  that  both  Trinidad  and  Hum- 
boldt bays  were  of  little  use  to  the  miners  on  Trinity 
river,  who  could  communicate  more  easily  and 
cheaply  with  the  Sacramento  valley  than  with  the 
sea.  It  was  also  found  that  the  Trinity  river, 
whose  eccentric  course  had  so  deceived  the  early 
prospectors,  did  not  enter  the  ocean  at  all,  but 
was  simply  a  tributary  of  the  Klamath.  To  see  how 
this  became  known  we  must  go  back  a  little. 

Among  those  who  wintered  on  the  Trinity  were 
Robert  G.  Shaw,  James  Chick,  Samuel  Jackson  and 
Julius  Holtzwart.  These  men  started  down  the 
river  on  the  first  of  March,  1850,  intending  to  go  to 
its  mouth  in  a  canoe.  They  had  progressed  some 
thirty  mile?,  when  the  canoe  overturned,  and  all  but 
Shaw  were  drowned.  Thus  was  the  knowledge  of 
the  location  of  Trinity  and  Klamath  rivers  delayed 
till  they  were  entered  from  the  sea  in  April.  On 
the  third  of  April  Captain  Ottinger  of  the  Laura 
Virginia  had  discovered  the  mouth  of  the  Klamath, 
but  could  not  enter  it.  He  located  it  in  41°  33'  and 
supposed  it  to  be  Rogue  river,  as  he  considered  it  too 
far  north  for  the  Trinity.     Fremont  had  given  the 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


59 


latitude  of  the  Klamath  at  its  source  as  42°  27',  and 
for  this  reason  it  was  supposed  to  lie  much  farther  to 
the  north,  in  Oregon.  When  the  Cameo  was  driven 
from  off  Trinidad  in  March  ami  supposed  to  be  lost, 
she  proceeded  to  Point  St.  George,  near  Crescent 
City  and  landed  her  passengers.  It  was  soon  after, 
and  near  this  place,  that  the  Arabian  lost  five  pas- 
sengers. B.  W.  Bullett,  Herman  Ehrenberg,  J.  T. 
Tyson,  A.  Heepe  and  Mr.  Gunns,  passengers  of  the 
Cameo,  explored  the  coast  to  the  south  on  foot,  and 
on  the  tenth  of  April  reached  the  Klamath,  which 
they  supposed  at  first  to  be  the  Trinity.  They 
explored  the  river  up  beyond  the  mouth  of  the  Trin- 
ity, and  parties  coming  down  that  stream  soon  set- 
tled the  identity  of  both  rivers.  A  few  miles  above 
the  mouth  of  the  Klamath  they  took  up  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  each,  on  the  south  bank,  and 
then  started  down  the  coast  for  Trinidad.  They 
reached  that  place  on  the  thirteenth  and  told  of  the 
discovery  of  the  river,  and  quite  a  number  returned 
with  them  to  lay  out  the  new  town,  which  they 
called  Klamath  City.  Here  they  learned  the  fate  of 
five  others  of  the  Cameo  party  who  had  followed 
them  down  from  Point  St.  George  in  a  boat.  They 
had  been  upset  in  the  surf  and  four  of  them  drowned, 
Eugene  Du  Bertrand  alone  being  rescued  by  an 
Indian.  This  river  was  variously  called  Rogue, 
Chester,  Trinity  and  Klamath,  the  latter  name  being 
found  the  correct  one.  A  party  explored  it  for  a 
long  distance  in  May,  passing  the  mouth  of  the  Trin- 
ity, and  returning  the  same  month,  having  been 
driven  out  by  hostile  Indians.  Miners  on  upper 
Trinity  river,  with  their  usual  restlessness,  pushed 
down  that  strea.m,  and  thus  settled  the  much  mooted 
point  of  where  the  mouth  of  the  river  was.  Pros- 
pecting parties  up  the  Klamath  and  others  down  the 
Trinity  soon  set  at  rest  all  doubt  as  to  the  location 
and  names  of  the  two  streams. 

Klamath  City  had  but  a  brief  and  inglorious 
career.  It  was  soon  discovered  that  the  shiftino- 
sands  at  the  mouth  kept  so  incessantly  altering  and 
obstructing  the  channel,  that  it  was  a  matter  of  con- 
siderable uncertainty  when  a  vessel  could  enter,  and 
when  once  inside  it  was  just  as  uncertain  when  it 
could  get  out  again.  No  sooner  was  this  fact  real- 
ized than  the  people,  to  use  an  expressive  phrase, 
"  slid  out,"  and  the  beautiful  metropolis,  with  its 
projected  parks,  boulevards  and  institutions  of  learn- 
ing became  again  a  mountain  wild,  and  so  remains 
at  the  present  time. 

The  towns  on  Trinidad  and  Humboldt  bays  vied 
with  each  other  in  their  endeavors  to  secure  tra  le 
and  travel.  Every  issue  of  the  San  Francisco  Alta 
contained  letters  from  both,  lauding  their  advan- 
tages to  the  skies  and  decrying  their  rivals.  The 
Humboldt  people  said  that  Trinidad  bay  was  not  a 
safe  harbor,  in  fact,  no  harbor  at  all,  while  the  Trini- 
dad proprietors  asserted  that  a  vessel  could  pass 
neither  in  nor  out  of  Humboldt  bay  in  safety, 
because  of  the  bar  at  the  entrance.  Both  claimed  to 
be  nearest  to  the  mines  and  to  have  the  best  road  to 
them,  and  claimed  to  be  doing  all  the  business.  The 
fact  was  that  neither  of  them  was  in  a  situation 
favorable  to  do  much  business  with  the  mines  on 
Trinity  river,  but  the  discovery  of  gold  on  the  Klam- 
ath, Salmon  and  Scott  rivers,  during  the  spring 
and  summer,  to  which  region  they  were  the  most 


accessible  points,  saved  them  from  wasting  away  like 
a  plucked  rose.  Leaving  them  to  fight  their  battle 
for  supremacy,  we  will  turn  our  attention  to  the  dis- 
coveries above  alluded  to. 

Early  in  June  a  number  of  men  crossed  the  ridge 
from  the  north  fork  of  Trinity  and  came  upon  the 
south  fork  of  Salmon  river,  which  they  followed 
down  to  the  forks  and  there  struck  rich  diggings. 
Several  hundred  men  collected  there  and  spread  up 
the  north  fork,  working  at  various  points  along  the 
stream.     During  the  same  month  a  party  consisting 

of  R  ifus  Johnson,  James  Dutfy, Van  Dusen, 

Dollarhide  and  a  number  of  others,  went  on  an 

exploring  expedition  up  the  Klamath  from  its  mouth. 
They  proceeded  about  as  far  as  Happy  Camp, 
when  the  Indians  became  so  hostile  they  had  to  turn 
back.  Leaving  the  river  they  struck  across  the 
mountains  and  reached  the  forks  of  Salmon  river. 
They  related  wonderful  stories  of  the  richness  of  the 
bars  on  the  Klamath  river,  asserting  that  a  man  could 
make  two  ounces  a  day.  This  was  enough.  A 
company  of  some  forty  men  was  formed  to  go  on  a 
prospecting  tour  up  the  Klamath,  in  search  of  two 
ounce  diggings.  Among  the  number  were  two 
whose  names  and  faces  afterwards  became  well 
known  in  Sisikiyou  county:  Edward  Bean,  long  a 
resident  of  Fort  Jones,  and  J.  M.  C.  Jones,  then  a 
lad  but  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  still  a  resident  of 
Yreka. 

The  party  left  the  forks  of  the  Salmon  in  July, 
and  struck  acro-s  the  country  in  a  north-westerly 
direction,  reaching  the  Klamath,  which  there  runs 
nearly  south,  a  distance  above  the  mouth  of  Salmon 
river.  Their  first  move  was  to  cross  the  stream  to 
the  west  side,  which  they  did  by  making  a  raft  of 
two  logs,  secured  by  a  lariat,  upon  which  their  effects 
were  placed,  and  which  they  pushed  across  the 
stream,  the  men  aud  stock  swimming.  This  method 
of  transportation  was  used  in  all  of  their  frequent 
crossings  of  the  river.  They  had  secured  a  Klamath 
Indian  or  two  for  guides,  being  able  to  maintain  an 
aggravating  and  uncertain  conversation  with  them 
by  means  of  the  Chinook  jargon,  with  which  they 
were  all  slightly  familiar.  They  then  started  up 
the  stream,  following  an  Indian  trail,  knowing  that 
the  bjst  routes  would  there  be  found,  sometimes 
going  directly  away  from  the  river,  across  a  spur  of 
mountains,  but  always  getting  back  to  it  again. 
Their  Indian  guides  would  go  with  them  as  far  as 
the  limits  of  the  range  of  their  tribe  or  band  and 
then  stop,  but  others  soon  appeared  in  camp.  Major 
Cook,  probably  to  be  provided  for  any  emergency, 
was  driving  along  a  good  fat  steer,  but  one  day  it 
commenced  rolling  down  a  steep  declivity,  and  when 
it  reached  the  bottom  it  was  quickly  resolved  from 
steer  into  minced  beef,  being  left  for  the  Indians  to 
regale  themselves  upon,  if  they  chanced  to  find  it. 
In  this  way  they  passed  up  the  stream,  prospecting 
in  a  superficial  and  unsatisfactory  way  all  the  bars 
and  streams  they  passed,  frequently  crossing  the 
river  for  that  purpose,  and  always  getting  "  color," 
but  never  finding  any  two-ounce  diggings.  One 
noon  they  camped  a  little  more  than  half  a  mile 
below  Scott  river,  and  a  few  of  them  swam  over  to 
Hamburg  Bar,  where  were  congregated  a  large 
number  of  Shasta  Indians,  with  whom  they  talked 
and  visited.     After  prospecting  a  little  on  the  bar, 


60 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


they  returned  to  camp,  and  the  company  resumed 
its  journey.  All  are  familiar  with  the  bend  in  the 
river  where  Scott  river  empties  into  it,  and  it  will 
be  readily  understood  how,  in  following  the  trail 
over  the  spur  of  the  mountain,  around  which  the 
river  makes  a  broai  1  sweep,  they  missed  seeing  Scott 
river,  although  passing  within  half  a  mile  of  its 
mouth. 

The  next  day  near  Oak  Bar,  where  they  also  pros- 
pected, they  lost  a  man  by  means  of  the  Indians,  and 
after  that  had  considerable  difficulty  with  them,  the 
details  of  which  will  be  given  in  another  place.  The 
highest  point  reached  was  a  mile  above  the  mouth  of 
the  Shasta  river.  Here  they  were  overtaken  and 
joined  by  the  party  of  Rufus  Johnson,  which  had 
been  reorganized,  the  united  company  being  about 
sixty  strong.  They  then  crossed  to  the  south  side, 
and  started  for  Shasta  valley,  a  glimpse  of  which 
they  had  obtained  from  the  opposite  hills.  As  the 
beautiful  valley,  with  its  wealth  of  tall  and  waving 
grass  and  its  snow-crowned  king,  grand  old  Shasta, 
opened  before  their  vision,  it  seemed  like  a  veritable 
Garden  of  Eden,  so  different  was  it  from  the  rugged 
and  precipitous  mountains  through  which  they  had 
been  passing.  They  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  Yreka 
creek  the  first  week  in  August,  only  a  few  days 
after  Joe  Lane's  party  had  taken  its  departure,  and 
passing  up  the  stream,  camped  at  an  open  place 
among  the  willows  and  wild  cherry  trees  that  skirted 
its  banks,  but  a  few  yards  below  the  bridge  on  Miner 
street.  The  stream,  as  they  found  it,  was  radically 
different  from  what  we  see  to-day.  It  was  a  succes- 
sion of  deep  holes,  filled  with  clear  water,  having  no 
clearly  defined  channel,  as  at  present.  Where  they 
camped,  they  discovered  a  cache'  of  dried  salmon,  a 
store  of  food  evidently  laid  by  for  winter  use  by  the 
savages,  the  contents  of  which  they  appropriated  to 
their  own  use.  Here  they  remained  three  days,  to 
rest  one  of  their  men  who  had  been  wounded  a  few 
days  before  in  a  fight  with  the  Indians.  Little 
squads  of  men  went  out  prospecting  in  all  directions, 
one  of  them  picking  up,  while  crossing  the  flats,  a 
chunk  of  gold  weighing  two  dollars  and  a  half.  The 
men  never  heard  of  diggings  on  a  flat,  and  so  made 
no  effort  to  prospect  where  the  gold  was  found. 
Thus  did  the  Yreka  diggings  narrowly  escape  being- 
discovered  eight  months  earlier  than  they  were. 
Bean  and  Jones  went  up  Greenhorn,  and  near  the 
point  of  rocks  found  a  little  water.  Here  they 
stopped  to  work,  finding  half  a  dollar  to  the  pan. 
A  consultation  was  held,  and  it  was  decided  not  to 
stop  there,  as  there  was  only  ground  enough  for 
seven  or  eight  men  a  few  weeks.  So  they  thought 
then.  What  those  of  them  who  are  still  alive  think 
now,  the  millions  of  treasure  since  taken  from  Green- 
horn leave  no  room  to  doubt. 

They  left  the  creek,  passing  through  the  divide 
south  of  Judge  Steele's  place,  and  soon  came  upon 
the  Oregon  trail,  where  they' were  surprised  to  dis- 
cover a  comparatively  fresh  wagon  track.  Follow- 
ing the  trail  south,  they  camped  that  night  near 
Edson's,  came  upon  the  abandoned  wagon  next  day 
in  Wagon  valley  and  camped  that  night  at  Berry- 
vale.  The  next  day  they  struck  the  Sacramento 
river  at  Soda  Springs,  and  two  days  later  overtook 
Governor  Joe  Lane's  party,  with  whom  they  trav- 
eled to  Shasta.     They  moved  around  considerably, 


going  to  Salt  creek  and  Middle  or  Olney  creek, 
finally  settling  down  for  the  winter  at  Middletown, 
where  were  also  quartered  hundreds  of  others,  who 
penetrated  into  this  region  early  the  next  spring. 

In  the  summer  of  1830,  Gov.  Joseph  Lane,  of 
Oregon,  who  had  so  manfully  resisted  the  onslaught 
of  the  gold  fever  while  passing  through  California  in 
1848,  on  his  way  to  organize  Oregon  Territory,  was 
finally  stricken  with  the  malady.  Convincing  him- 
self, if  not  others,  that  it  was  necessary  to  make  a 
protracted  official  visit  to  the  southern  portion  of 
Oregon,  he  prepared  himself  for  a  long  journey,  and 
set  out  with  half  a  dozen  white  men  and  thrice  as 
many  Indians.  He  failed,  however,  to  stop  when 
he  reached  the  boundary  line,  an  oversight  he  can 
hardly  be  held  accountable  for,  as  the  exact  location 
of  that  line  was  not  determined  until  many  years 
afterward.  He  had  a  wagon,  which  was  the  source 
of  a  great  deal  of  annoyance  and  la  bor  and  rend- 
ered the  journey  slow  and  tedious. 

Upon  reaching  the  Klamath,  a  little  prospecting 
was  indulged  in,  and  then  the  party  passed  on. 
Considerable  work  was  done  on  Shasta  river,  near 
the  mouth  of  Yreka  creek,  on  Joe  Lane's  bar.  After 
a  short  stay,  not  satisfied  with  the  yield  of  dust, 
they  continued  their  journey  southward,  abandon- 
ing the  encumbering  wagon  in  a  little  valley  near 
Berryvale,  which  has  since  1849  borne  the  name  of 
Wagon  valley.  A  few  days  later  they  were  over- 
taken on  the  Saciamento  river  by  the  prospecting 
party  that  had  just  come  up  the  Klamath  river. 
Governor  Lane  returned  here  in  the  early  spring  at 
the  head  of  a  large  company  of  men,  bound  for 
Scott  Bar. 

To  go  back  a  little  and  follow  the  course  of  John- 
son is  necessary.  He  went  down  the  Klamath  and 
re-organized  his  party,  and  again  started  up  the 
stream.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Trinity  he  fell  in  with 
Charles  McDermit,  Abisha  Swain,  John  W.  Burke, 

Stevens,  Charles  D.  Moore,  and  Buck, 

who  went  with  him  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Sal- 
mon, where  they  stopped  to  mine,  while  the  Johnson 
party  continued  up  the  Klamath.  They  prospected 
in  a  number  of  places,  and  finally  came  to  Scott 
river  and  did  a  little  work  there.     In  this  party  of 

some  forty  men   there   were   Rufus   Johnson, 

Dollarhide, Duffy, Snyder,  and 

Van  Dusen.  They  left  Scott  river  and  continued 
up  the  Klamath,  overtaking  and  joining  the  Jones 
and  Bean  party  near  the  mouth  of  Shasta  river. 

But  a  few  days  after  the  departure  of  Johnson's 
party  from  Scott  river,  a  small  company  of  men 
from  the  forks  of  Salmon,  led  by  John  Scott,  arrived 
there  and  went  to  work,  the  place  being  named  by 
them  Scott  Bar.  They  had,  however,  worked  here 
but  a  short  time  when  the  Indians  made  such  hostile 
demonstrations  as  to  induce  them,  being  few  in 
number,  to  abandon  the  river.  They  went  up  the 
stream  to  the  valley,  and  then  over  the  divide  to 
the  north  fork  of  Salmon,  and  thence  over  to  Trinity, 
where  the  news  of  their  discovery  soon  spread  and 
several  parties  were  organized  to  find  the  river, 
some  of  them  led  by  members  of  the  Scott  party. 
Some  of  this  company  went  to  Trinidad  and  others 
to  Reading's  Springs,  and  in  this  way  the  fame  of 
Scott  Bar  was  rapidly  spread  abroad,  and  as  it 
was  considered  dangerous  to  winter  in  the  mount- 


FRANCIS  RILEY, 

The  only  surviving  member  of  a  family  of  four  chil- 
dren, was  born  in  the  city  of  Limerick, Ireland,  May  30, 
1830.  He  was  the  son  of  Francis  and  Sarah  Ann 
(Wheeler)  Riley.  His  grandfather  was  a  commis- 
sioned officer  and  quartermaster  of  the  Fifty-sixth 
Regiment,  British  Infantry,  of  which  regiment  his 
father  was  also  a  member,  and  when  but  six  years 
of  age  young  Francis  accompanied  his  father  and 
the  regiment  to  the  Island  of  Jamaica.  His  father 
died  there,  and  his  mother  was  married  to  an 
Englishman  named  Charles  W.  Bamfield;  but  after 
a  short  time  she  also  died,  leaving  him,  an  orphaned 
boy  at  twelve  years  of  age,  dependent  entirely  upon 
his  own  exertions.  He  shipped  as  cabin  boy  on  a 
sailing  vessel  to  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  and  after 
fifteen  months'  absence  returned,  and  entered  the 
employ  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Commercial  Hotel, 
at  Kingston.  In  1850  he  started  for  California, 
stopped  on  the  isthmus  for  five  months,  and  after  a 
severe  illness,  journeyed  across  on  foot,  and  shipped 
oq  board  the  Fremont  as  ward  steward.  He  arrived 
at  San  Francisco,  August  31,  1851,  and  went  at 
once  to  Sacramento  and  opened  a  restaurant.  In  less 
than  six  weeks  he  lost  SSOO,  after  which  he  took  to 
the  mines  at  Jackson,  Amador  county,  with  little 
success.  He  returned  to  Sacramento  after  fifteen 
months,  and  went  to  Michigan  Bar  and  opened  the 
Franklin  House.  He  also  engaged  in  mining  with 
better  success,  and  established  a  stage  line  from 
Folsom  to  Jackson.  In  the  spring  of  1858  he 
started  for  Frazer  river,  and  reached  Greenhorn, 
in  this  county,  May  1st,  with  twenty  dollars 
in  his  pockets.  Here  he  entered  a  store  kept  by 
Mr.  A.  A.tkins,  to  purchase  some  provisions,  intend- 
ing to  go  on  to  the  flats  at  Yreka,  but  was  per- 
suaded by  Atkins  to  stay  and  he  would  show  him 


a  claim.  He  consented,  and  at  once  began  mining 
with  success.  Here  he  made  the  acquaintance  of 
Thomas  McCann,  Dennis  Dinan,  and  D.  M.  Beem, 
who  rendered  him  valuable  assistance.  These  gen- 
tlemen still  reside  in  Siskiyou  county,  and  the 
attachments  thus  formed  still  continue.  He  soon 
purchased  an  interest  in  the  store,  and  later  bought 
it  all,  and  continued  it  until  1865,  when  he  removed 
to  Hawkinsville,  and  bought  out  a  Mr.  Sells.  He 
continued  in  this  ti-ade  until  1878,  when  he  disposed 
of  his  last  interest  at  Hawkinsville  to  his  step-son, 
Con.  O'Donnell,  and  then  bought  an  interest  in 
the  U.  S.  bakery,  at  Yreka,  with  Thomas  Jensen, 
and  ran  the  business  as  Jensen  &  Riley,  to  whom  he 
is  now  successor.  He  was  married,  October  14, 1860, 
to  Mrs.  Margaret  Adelaide  O'Donnell,  and  by  this 
union  there  was  one  child,  Sarah  Ann,  born  July  8, 
1862;  died  July  8,  1868.  By  Mrs.  Riley's  first 
marriage  there  was  one  son, Constan tine  C.  O'Donnell, 
who  was  reared  and  educated  by  Mr.  Riley,  and 
succeeded  him  in  the  business  at  Hawkinsville.  Mrs. 
Riley  died  May  8,  1873,  and  is  buried  by  the  side  of 
their  daughter,  in  the  Catholic  cemetery  at  Yreka. 
On  January  24,  1875,  Mr.  Riley  was  again  married, 
this  time  to  Miss  Annie  E.  Fields.  By  this  union  there 
have  been  four  children:  Francis  Alexander,  born 
September  21,  1875;  Nellie  Donahue,  July  9, 1877; 
Elijah  George,  September  30, 1879;  Louis  Wortman, 
January  21, 1881.  Mr.  Riley  is  a  member  of  Howard 
Lodge,  No.  96,  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons;  also  of 
Cyrus  Chapter,  No.  15;  both  at  Yreka;  and  of  Ieka 
Tribe,  No.  15,  Order  of  Red  Men.  In  religion  he 
is  a  Pi'otestant.  He  was  sheriff  of  Siskiyou  county 
during  the  years  1874-75.  After  returning  from 
Florence,  Idaho,  where  he  spentfour  months  in  1861, 
he  began  dealing  in  mining  claims  on  the  Green- 
horn  with  considerable  success.  He  is  now  interested 
in  the  Siskiyou  and  Kanaka  mines. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


61 


ains  many  made  a  silent  resolve  to  go  to  Scott 
Bar  as  early  in  the  spring  as  it  was  safe  so  to  do. 

A  few  daj's  after  Scott's  pirty  was  chased  oft"  the 
river,  Jesse  J.  Pool  was  working  on  the  north  fork 
of  Salmon  river,  when  an  Indian,  arrayed  simply  in 
a  breech-clout,  appeared  before  him  and  opened  a 
conversation  in  Chinook,  which  Pool  could  not  under- 
stand. "  Close  turn  turn  "  said  he,' smiting  himself 
on  the  breast  and  smiling  in  a  winning  way,  "  Eos- 
ton  man,  Hi  you,  Shasta,"  pointing  over  the  mount- 
ains to  the  north-east.  Seeing  that  he  was  not  fully 
understood,  he  took  Pool's  pan,  put  in  some  small 
stones  and  began  shaking  the  implement  as  if  wash- 
ing dirt,  all  the  time  laughing  and  saying,  "Hi  you, 
Boston  man.  Hi  you,  Hi  you,  Shasta."  Pool  deci- 
ded that  he  was  trying  to  tell  him  there  was  a  party 
of  white  men  mining  on  Shasta  river,  and  that  they 
were  finding  coarse  lumps  of  gold.  That  there  was 
such  a  river  as  Shasta,  all  the  miners  knew,  and  they 
expected  to  find  it  to  the  east,  in  fact  when  Salmon 
river  was  first  found  it  was  supposed  to  be  the 
Shasta.  Pool  knew  of  the  party  that  Bean  and 
Jones  belonged  to  having  gone  prospecting  to  the 
east,  and  of  the  Johnson  and  Scott  parties,  and  sup- 
posed that  they  had  found  rich  diggings  on  Shasta 
river.  He  is  satisfied  that  the  Indian  referred  to 
Scott's  party  on  Scott  Bar,  and  by  "  Shasta"  meant 
over  towards  Mount  Shasta.  He  told  his  partner, 
Moses  Dusenberry,  what  he  thought,  and  they  went 
up  the  stream  a  short  distance  and  got  eleven  more 
to  join  them  in  a  trip  over  the  mountains.  A  care- 
ful search  revealed  a  fresh  trail,  but  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  tell  which  way  it  led,  as  tracks  faced  both 
ways.  This  they  followed  into  Scott  valley,  where 
they  were  delayed  three  days  by  reason  of  Indians 
stealing  some  of  their  stock,  and  then  continued  on 
till  they  reached  Scott  Bar,  where  they  found  a  party 
of  about  fifty  men  had  arrived  but  the  day  before. 
At  the  head  of  this  company  was  Doctor  Goodwin, 
and  they  had  come  direct  from  Trinity  river,  where 
they  had  been  informed  of  the  discovery  here  by 
some  members  of  Scott's  party.  It  was  probably 
due  to  their  coming  over  the  trail  that  made  the  con- 
fusion of  tracks.  Doctor  Goodwin,  Pool,  Dusenberry 
and  ten  others  formed  a  company  and  put  in  a  wing 
dam.  Tnis  was  just  below  the  bridge  on  the  oppo- 
site side  from  the  present  town  of  Scott  Bar.  They 
made  hand-barrows  of  beef  hides.  From  that  time 
till  the  present  day  mining  has  been  carried  on  unre- 
mittedly  along  Scott  river. 

The  passage  of  the  Joe  Lane  party  and  the 
united  companies  of  Johnson,  Bean  and  Jones,  up 
Shasta  river,  across  Yreka  flats,  prospecting  on 
Greenhorn,  and  finally  down  the  Sacramento  river, 
has  been  related.  The  next  to  penetrate  into  that 
little-known  region  was  a  party  of  eleven  that  left 
Scott  Bar  early  in  December.  They  went  up  the 
Klamath  to  Shasta  river,  then  up  that  stream 
nearly  to  its  source.  Returning,  they  camped  on 
the  flats  of  Yreka,  near  the  spring,  for  a  few  days. 
Once  J.  J.  Pool  was  left  alone  in  camp,  and  took  a 
pan  of  dirt  from  near  the  spring  and  washed  it,  find- 
ing a  piece  of  gold  as  large  as  a  buckshot.  When 
the  others  returned  to  camp  the  prospect  was  dis- 
cussed, but  they  thought  there  was  too  much  grass 
there  for  good  diggings.  Many  of  the  old  miners  of 
Yreka   will     remember    the    luxuriant    growth    of 


grass  on  the  flats,  and  how  little  scales  of  gold  fre- 
quently clung  to  the  roots  when  a  hunch  of  it  was 
pulled  from  the  ground.  The  company  was  also 
out  of  provisions,  and  what  was  still  worse,  out  of 
tobacco.  It  is  a  well-known  peculiarity  of  those 
times,  that  when  the  tobacco  gave  out  dissention 
and  bickering  at  once  commenced.  The  party 
divided,  six  of  them  going  by  way  of  the  Forest 
House  to  the  valley,  and  thence  to  Scott  Bar,  while 
Pool,  D.  C.  Ingalls,  Smith,  Foote,  and  one  other, 
went  up  Greenhorn.  On  the  last  day  of  the  year 
1850,  they  prospected  a  little  gulch  just  above  the 
mouth  of  the  north  fork  of  the  Greenhorn,  since 
known  as  Ingalls  gulch,  and  found  four  dollai's  and 
one-half  in  the  first  pan.  The  absence  of  anything 
to  eat  compelled  them  to  go  to  Scott  Bar  for  pro- 
visions, with  the  pm-pose  of  uniting  some  of  their 
friends  with  them  and  returning  to  work  the 
bonanza  they  had  found. 

A  short  time  after  the  Goodwin  company  began 
work  in  earnest  on  Scott  Bar,  Edward  Wicks,  Wil- 
liam R.  Pool  and  a  few  others  took  up  a  land  claim 
in  the  valley  where  Goodwin's  ranch  now  is,  for  the 
purpose  of  grazing  stock,  as  no  grass  could  be  had  at 
the  bar.  They  built  a  large  corral  of  logs  and 
guarded  the  stock  there  at  night  from  the  pilfering 
savages,  herding  them  in  the  valley  during  the  day. 
As  every  miner  who  came  to  the  river  had  one  or 
more  animals  for  which  they  paid  these  men  a  good 
price  to  keep,  the  enterprise  was  both  necessary  and 
profitable.  Here  Pool,  Ingalls  and  their  companions 
left  their  stock  while  they  went  to  the  bar  to  pre- 
pare for  the  trip  to  Greenhorn.  Notwithstanding 
the  secrecy  with  which  they  organized  a  party  of 
nine  men  and  purchased  supplies,  they  were  sus- 
pected of  having  found  something  and  their  move- 
ments were  watched.  They  were  ready  about  the 
middle  of  Januaiy,  and  sent  two  men  after  their 
animals,  who  met  others  going  after  theirs  when  they 
came  back.  The  little  party  of  nine  was  soon  ready 
and  started  over  the  trail,  meeting  the  others  on  the 
mountain,  coming  back  with  their  animals  to  pack 
and  follow  them.  They  hastened  on  and  traveled  all 
night,  going  up  Indian  creek,  crossing  to  McAdams 
and  Cherry  creeks,  and  thence  over  to  Greenhorn, 
arriving  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Hav- 
ing no  idea  that  they  could  be  followed  in  the  dark- 
ness, they  stretched  their  tired  limbs  upon  the 
ground,  and  the  pine-covered  slopes  of  Greenhorn 
soon  echoed  the  snores  of  nine  slumbering  men.  The 
sun  was  just  reaching  its  warm  rays  into  the  canon, 
when  a  party  of  twenty-four  men  that  had  been 
following  their  trail  all  night  came  upon  the  s'um- 
bering  forms.  They  saw  where  the  work  had  been 
done  on  the  gulch,  and  took  in  the  situation  at  once. 
Noiselessly  they  staked  off  claims,  unpacked  their 
animals,  and  took  possession,  and  when  the  others 
awoke  they  found  the  enemy  occupying  the  ground. 
The  successful  party  called  a  miners'  meeting  at 
once  and  passed  laws  fixing  the  size  of  a  claim  at 
fifty  feet,  thus  appropriating  nearly  the  whole  of 
the  gulch  to  themselves.  No  prospecting  was  done 
at  other  points  on  Greenhorn,  and  Pool,  Ingalls, 
Johnson,  Thomas  and  three  others  left  for  Oregon  in 
disgust,  while  two  of  their  party  remained  and 
worked  with  the  others.  From  the  time  this  work 
was  commenced  in  Ingalls  gulch  about  the  middle 


62 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


of  January,  1851,  mining  has  been  constantly  carried 
on  along  Greenhorn.  Members  of  parties  that 
came  up  from  below  in  January,  February  and 
March,  or  down  from  Oregon,  all  speak  of  men  being 
at  work  on  Greenhorn. 

Sometime  during  the  winter  a  party  of  thirteen 
left  the  north  fork  of  Salmon  and  crossed  the  mount- 
ains to  Scott  valley.  They  had  one  little  mule 
with  them  which  they  had  to  let  down  the  steep 
places  on  the  mountain  sides  in  their  blankets. 
They  came  over  the  divide  to  Yreka  creek  and  pros- 
pected in  various  places.  They  went  some  distance 
up  Long  gulch  and  found  seventy -five  cents  to  the 
pan  in  one  small  place,  but  failed  to  find  anything 
elsewhere,  though  they  prospected  in  many  places. 
They  therefore  abandoned  the  attempt  and  went  to 
Scott  Bar.  In  this  party  were  E.  K.  Anderson,  of 
Ashland,  Oregon,  J.  F.  Anderson,  of  Anderson's 
Ferry,  in  this  county,  and  John  and  Isaac  Boyle. 

Although  Scott  returned  to  Scott  Bar  in  Decem- 
ber with  eighty  emigrants  from  below,  still  so  great 
was  the  fear  entertained  of  the  danger  of  wintering 
in  the  mountains  without  a  large  supply  of  provis- 
ions, that  in  January  there  were  only  about  twenty- 
one  men  there.  Many  had  gone  to  Reading's  Springs, 
and  in  February  began  to  return  with  large  parties 
of  others  who  had  waited  all  winter  for  a  chance  to 
come  in.  Among  those  who  came  in  the  early 
spring,  and  well-known  in  the  county,  were  James 
fl.  Lindsay,  Hon.  Elijah  Steele,  Edmond  Bean, 
Benjamin  Jacobs,  John  C.  and  William  Burgess,  John 
Haislip,  Hon.  Silas  J.  Day,  Gen.  Joseph  Lane,  J.  M. 
C.  Jones,  Capt.  Ben  Wright,  Benjamin  Davis,  and 
many  others.  Parties  came  up  the  Sacramento, 
over  Scott  mountain,  across  from  Trinity  and  Sal- 
mon and  down  from  Oregon.  The  country  was 
alive  with  men,  all  well  supplied  with  provisions 
and  animals,  the  majority  of  them  bound  for  Scott, 
river,  though  many  in  search  of  the  "  Lost  Cabin ," 
and  all  ready  for  anything  that  might  offer  itself. 
The  first  party  down  from  Oregon  that  season 
arrived  at  Yreka  creek  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  Feb- 
ruary, and  contained  Dr.  F.  G.  Hearn,  Jacob  Wag- 
ner, James  Thornton  and  others,  who  had  met  Pool 
and  Ingalls  and  heard  of  Scott  Bar,  Ingalls  gulch 
and  Lane's  diggings  on  Shasta  river.  They  divided, 
some  of  them  going  to  Scott  Bar  and  others  con- 
tinuing down  to  Reading's  Springs,  but  only  getting 
as  far  as  Strawberry  valley.  The  great  snow-storm 
which  caused  the  starvation  times  on  Salmon  river 
occurred  early  in  March,  overtaking  this  party  at 
Strawberry  valley  and  the  others,  who  had  united 
with  the  Burgess  train,  in  Scott  valley.  As  has 
been  stated,  parties  were  parsing  through  constantly 
and  Yreka  creek  was  a  favorite  camping  place,  and 
it  was  by  a  party  of  Oregonians  who  wei-e  here 
temporarily  that  the  discovery  was  made  on  Yreka 
flats  that  brought  two  thousand  men  to  the  spot  in 
less  than  six  weeks. 

The  writer  has  found  but  two  men  who  claim  to 
have  been  at  Yreka  when  this  discovery  was  made, 
and  they  are  Dr.  F.  G.  Hearn,  of  Yreka,  and  Hon. 
Silas  J.  Day,  of  Jacksonville,  Oregon.  The  writer  has 
talked  with  them  and  a  dozen  others  who  were 
near,  most  of  them  at  Scott  Bar.  when  the  discovery 
was  made,  and  they  nearly  all  agree  that  the  Yreka 
diggings  were  struck  late  in  March,  1851,  although 


one  puts  it  much  earlier  in  the  month  and  another 
as  late  as  the  middle  of  April.  The  news  reached 
Sacramento  and  was  published  in  the  Placer  Times 
on  the  eighteenth  of  April,  and  three  or  four  weeks 
are  ample  time  to  allow  for  the  intelligence  to  reach 
that  city,  especially  as  pack  trains  started  for  Shasta 
but  a  few  days  after  the  discovery.  Judge  Day, 
with  two  brothers  named  Garfield,  had  come  back 
from  Scott  Bar,  and  were  camped  on  Yreka  creek 
when  the  discovery  was  made,  being  on  their  way 
to  Oregon.  The  majority  of  Dr.  Hearn's  party  hid 
also  come  back  from  Scott  Bar  dissatisfied;  with  the 
intention  of  going  to  Ingalls  gulch,  and  fell  in  with 
a  party  that  had  just  come  down  from  Oregon.  On 
the  morning  of  the  discovery  fie  united  companies 
were  going  from  the  creek  up  to  Greenhorn,  when 
one  of  them,  Abraham  Thompson,  bore  off  to  the 
right  and  was  separated  from  the  others.  He  con- 
cluded to  prospect  a  little,  an  1  washed  three  pans  of 
dirt  in  the  water  running  down  a  little  ravine  that 
has  since  been  generally  called  Black  gulch.  The 
result  was  a  good  prospect  of  coarse  gold,  He  com- 
municated the  intelligence  to  his  companions,  and 
the  whole  party  visited  the  sp  it  to  see  for  them- 
selves. The  amount  washed  out  by  Thompson  was 
not  very  great,  but  the  coarse  gold  convinced  them 
that  they  had  found  a  giod  place,  an  impression 
that  was  deepened  when  they  observed  little  scales 
of  gold  clinging  to  the  grass  roots. 

The  men  were  nearly  all  new  arrivals  in  the 
mines  and  were  ignorant  of  mining  methods  and 
customs,  but  two  or  three  who  had  been  in  the 
mines  told  them  they  must  organize  a  district  and 
make  regulations.  A  meeting  was  therefore  held 
the  next  day.  The  new  diggings  were  called 
Thompson's  Dry  Diggings,  and  the  size  of  claims 
was  made  thirty  feet,  the  latter  action  being  taken 
in  deference  to  the  superior  wisdom  of  the  favored 
few  who  had  been  in  the  mines  and  knew  all  about 
it,  though  they  afterwards  learned  that  they  could 
have  made  them  much  larger.  Thompson  and  his 
partner,  Bell,  were  g'ven  three  claims,  the  extra  one 
lor  the  discovery.  Tnus  was  launched  upon  the 
mining  world  the  celebrated  diggings  of  Yreka  flats. 
How  men  poured  in  from  all  directions,  an  1  Shasta 
Butte  Oity  sprang  into  being  is  detailed  in  the  more 
particular  history  of  Yreka,  given  in  another  por- 
tion of  this  volume. 

There  is  one  other  element  that  entered  into  the 
development  of  this  region  that  must  not  be  over- 
looked, and  that  is  the  Gold  Bluff  excitement.  In 
the  month  May,  1850,  B.  Nordheimer,  J.  H.  Stinch- 
field,  Charles  D.  Moore  and  a  number  of  others  were 
going  up  the  sea-shore  from  Trinidad  to  the  new 
town  of  Klamath  City,  when  they  observed  gold  in 
the  sand  on  the  ocean  beach.  They  took  some  of 
this,  but  it  was  so  mixed  with  fine  gray  and  black 
sand  that  they  could  do  nothing  with  it.  They 
passed  on,  and  no  attempt  was  made  to  work 
the  sea-shore  deposit.     In  the  fall,  J.  M.  Maxwell 

and Richardson  went  to  the  bluff  and  began 

operations.  They  soon  found  that  it  was  but  occa- 
sionally that  the  gold  was  visible.  The  bluff  is  sev- 
eral miles  long  and  four  hundred  feet  high,  with  but 
few  feet  between  it  and  the  sea.  In  times  of  storm 
at  high  tide  the  surf  beats  against  the  bluff  and 
washes  down  the  quartz  that  partially  composes  it. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


63 


The  fine  grains  of  gold  that  thus  become  mixed  with 
the  sand  are  sometimes  brought  to  the  surface  by 
the  action  of  the  water  and  sometimes  buried  out  of 
sight.  Maxwell  and  Richardson  watched  their 
opportunity,  and  when  the  glistening  particles 
appeared  on  top  of  the  sand,  they  filled  buckskin 
bags  with  the  mixture  of  sand  and  gold,  and  car- 
ried it  back  on  the  bluff  to  be  worked  over  at  their 
leisure.  The  gold  was  so  fine  and  the  sand  so  heavy 
that  they  only  saved  a  small  per  cent,  of  what  the 
mixture  contained.  News  of  the  wonderful  beach 
of  gold  went  to  San  Francisco,  and  a  company  was 
organized,  that  chartered  the  steamer  Chesapeake,  to 
explore  the  place.  She  arrived  off  Gold  Bluff  on 
the  twenty-third  of  December,  1850,  and  the  next 
morning  sent  a  boat  ashore.  This  was  broken  up 
in  the  surf,  but  the  occupants  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  beach  in  safety.  The  others,  not  wishing  to 
land  in  such  a  damp  and  dangerous  manner,  sailed 
for  the  mouth  of  the  Klamath,  but  could  not  cross 
the  bar.  They  then  returned  to  Trinidad  and  went 
up  the  coast  on  foot  with  pack-mules  owned  by  J.~ 
C.  Campbell.  The  Chesapeake  then  returned  to 
San  Francisco  to  report  the  success  of  the  expedi- 
tion. The  Alta  California  contained  the  following, 
January  9,  1851: — 

A  New  El  Dorado. — We  have  been  all  along  prepared  to  hear 
marvelous  accounts  of  discoveries  of  gold;  that  it  would  be  as 
abundant  as  lead  seemed  not  altogether  improbable;  and  we  have 
looked  forward  to  a  lime  when  a  man  would  have  to  give  a  cart- 
load of  the  precious  metal  in  exchange  for  a  barrel  of  wheat.  But 
there  is  nothing  left  for  credulity  now.  The  world  has  never 
heard  of  such  wealth  as  lies  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  steamer  Chesapeake,  with  about  thirty 
adventurers,  left  this  port  on  the  twenty -first  ultimo,  for  the 
Klamith,  and  in  yesterday's  paper  we  gave  some  account  of  her 
progress.  Scarcely  was  our  paper  issued  when  the  Chesapeake 
came  into  port,  bringing  back  five  or  six  of  the  "prospecters," 
General  John  Wilson  and  John  C.  Collins,  Esq  ,  among  the 
number.  A  meeting  of  the  stockholders  was  called,  to  heir  the 
result  of  the  expedition,  which  meeting  we  attended,  and  if  we 
can  bring  our  ideas  down  to  anything  like  reason,  after  hearing 
the  wonderful  details,  we  will  let  the  public  into  the  secret. 

Twenty-seven  miles  beyond  the  Trinity,  there  is  a  beach  sev- 
eral miles  in  extent  and  bounded  by  a  high  bluff.  The  sands  of 
this  beach  are  mixed  with  gold,  to  an  extent  almost  beyond 
belief.  The  sands  are  of  two  kinds,  a  fine  black  sand  and  a  gray 
sand.  The  gray  sand  can  be  separated  very  easily  from  the  black 
sand,  and  this  seems  to  be  a  desirable  object.  The  gold  is  mixed 
with  the  black  sand  in  proportions  from  ten  cents  to  ten  dollars 
to  the  pound.  At  times  when  the  surf  is  high,  the  gold  is  not 
easily  discovered,  but  in  the  Spring  of  the  year,  after  a  succession 
of  calms,  the  entire  beach  is  covered  with  a  bri-ht  and  yellow 
gold.  Mr.  Collins,  the  Secretary  of  the  Pacific  Mining  Company, 
measured  a  patch  of  gold  and  sand,  and  estimates  it  will  give  to 
each  member  of  the  company  the  snug  little  sum  of  forty-three 
million  dollars,  and  this  estimate  is  formed  upon  a  calculation  that 
the  sand  holds  out  to  be  one-tenth  as  rich  as  observation  war- 
rants them  in  supposing. 

The  Pacific  Mining  Company  (the  adventurers  of  the  Chesa- 
peake have  banded  themselves  together  under  this  title)  found 
some  nineieen  meu  at  these  diggings.  The  men  had  no  disposition 
to  dig,  for  the  gold  was  all  ready  for  them  whenever  they  felt  dis- 
posed to  take  it.  Besides,  such  is  the  character  of  the  roads, 
that  they  eannottake  away  more  than  seventy-five  to  one  hundred 
pounds  apiece — an  amount  too  trifling  for  their  consideration. 
Thi-.y  had  erectel  a  comfortable  log  cabin,  and  designed  watching 
this  claim  till  Spring,  and  then  take  a  ship-load  of  the  gold  and 
travel  to  some  country  w-here  the  metal  was  not  so  abundant. 
Mr.  Collins  saw  a  man  who  had  accumulated  fifty  thousand 
pounds,  or  fifty  thousand  tons — he  did  not  recollect  which — of 
the  richest  kind  of  black  sand. 

General  Wilson  says  that  thousands  of  men  cannot  exhaust 
this  gold  in  thousands  of  years,  and  he  gives  all  who  doubt  his 
statements  the  liberty  of  going  and  ascertaining  these  facts  for 
themselves. 

The  company  will  send  up  one  hundred  additional  laborers  as 
speedily  as  they  can  be  embarked.  They  also  design  purchasing 
a  steamer  and  running  her  up  to  the '  'Gold  Bluffs."  Sixty  men  are 
now  at  the  scene  of  operations.     We  await  with  anxiety  further 


reports.     Numerous  specimens  of  the  sand  and  g  >Id  were  exhib- 
ited to  the  stockholders  at  the  meeting  last  evening. 

In  addition  to  the  long  article  in  the  Alta,  Mr. 
Collins  published  two  affidavits  he  had  secured 
while  at  the  wonderful  beach.  One  was  signed  by 
M.  C.  Thompson  and  C.  W.  Kinsey,  and  the  other 
by  Edwin  A.  Rowe,  both  attested  by  L.  B.  Gilkey, 
j  ustice  of  the  peace  of  Trinity  county.  They  spoke  of 
the  nature  and  richness  of  the  beach,  and  Rowe's 
contained  the  following  passage :  "I  am  now,  how- 
ever, confident  that  with  the  proper  arrangements 
for  amalgamating  the  gold,  on  a  scale  as  extensive 
as  j'our  company  is  capable  of  doing,  millions  upon 
millions  of  dollars  can  be  easily  obtained  every  year 
for  more  than  a  century  to  come."  The  next  day 
shares  demanded  a  premium.  On  the  eighteenth,  the 
steamers  Chesapeake^smd  General  Warren  sailed  for 
Gold  Bluff,  and  a  few  days  later  the  bark  Chester. 
A  great  many  companies  were  formed  and  vessels 
chartered '  to  take  them  to  the  auriferous  beach. 
Hundreds  reached  Trinidad  en  route  to  the  bluff, 
but  were  met  with  the  news  that  the  gold  could 
not  be  separated  from  the  black  sand,  and  that  it 
was  a  waste  of  time  and  money  to  attempt  it.  Still 
many  went  to  be  convinced  by  experience,  and 
when  so  convinced  pushed  on  up  the  Klamath  to 
the  Salmon  mines.  It  was  principally  these  adven- 
turers, unprovided  with  supplies,  who  crowded  into 
the  Salmon  country  and  produced  the  starvation 
times  there.  All  efforts  to  work  the  beach  on  an 
extensive  scale  failed  and  were  abandoned.  Every 
year,  however,  a  few  men  have  worked  there  at  a 
favorable  season  and  made  good  wages,  and  they  are 
doing  the  same  at  the  present  time;  but  how  the 
"millions  upon  millions"  have  dwindled. 

The  starvation  times  on  Salmon  river  have  been 
several  times  alluded  to  and  form  quite  an  interest- 
ing chapter  in  the  history  of  this  region.  So  great 
was  the  fear  of  wintering  in  this  comparatively 
unknown  region,  that  probably  not  half  a  hundred 
men  were  to  be  found  on  the  stream  in  December 
of  1850.  Below  the  forks  were  McDermit,  Swain 
and  their  party,  at  the  forks  were  a  few  men,  while 
on  the  north  fork  at  Bestville  was  the  party  of 
Captain  Best.  These  had  all  provided  themselves 
with  an  ample  supply  of  provisions,  and  passed  the 
winter  very  comfortably.  As  soon  as  it  was  sup- 
posed that  the  worst  part  of  the  winter  had  passed, 
miners  began  to  flock  in  from  Trinity  river,  Trini- 
dad and  Humboldt,  and  some  came  up  Sacramento 
river  and  over  through  Scott  valley.  This  was  in 
the  latter  part  of  January  and  during  the  month  of 
February,  1851.  Many  of  these,  especially  those 
from  Trinidad  and  Humboldt,  came  unprovided  with 
supplies,  expecting  to  find  them  on  the  river,  and 
knowing  that  there  were  pack-trains  at  those  points 
preparing  to  bring  in  provisions.  The  result  was 
that,  although  a  few  small  trains  arrived  with  sup- 
plies, the  provisions  were  soon  eaten  up  and  there 
was  a  crowd  of  several  thousand  men  without  any- 
thing to  eat.  At  this  juncture,  early  in  the  month 
of  March,  a  terrific  snow-storm  set  in  and  so  com- 
pletely blockaded  the  mountain  trails  that  it  was 
impossible  for  pack-trains  to  pass  through  to  their 
relief.  Men  lived  on  mule  meat,  on  sugar,  and 
sometimes  on  nothing  at  all.  Those  who  took  their 
rifles  and  went  hunting  met  with  poor  success.   One 


64 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


man  killed  two  grouse  and  was  offered  eight  dollars 
each  for  them  and  declined  the  trade.  The  extrem- 
ity to  which  some  of  them  were  reduced  was  very 
great,  and  for  nearly  a  month  not  a  pound  of  food 
come  to  their  relief.  Finally  packers  got  as  far  as 
Orleans  Bar,  and  men  who  had  made  a  trail  through 
the  snow  took  small  packs  on  their  shoulders  and 
carried  them  over  the  mountains  to  their  starving 
friends.  It  was  nearly  the  last  of  April  before  a 
train  of  mules  made  its  way  clear  through  to  Sal- 
mon, and  found  a  most  hearty  welcome.  Hundreds 
of  the  miners  who  had  been  snowed  in  had  made 
their  way  over  the  mountains,  some  to  Orleans  Bar, 
some  to  Trinity,  and  others  to  Scott  Bar  and  the 
newly  discovered  mines  at  Yreka  flats,  suffering  ter- 
ribly on  the  way,  and  reaching  these  places  in  a 
starving  condition.  A  perfect  stream  of  them  came 
down  Greenhorn  in  April  and  devoured  all  the  pro- 
visions of  the  few  men  working  on  the  creek  at 
that  time. 

The  development  of  this  region  in  1851  by  the 
thousands  tha.t  poured  into  Yreka  and  the  Scott 
river  diggings,  and  prospected  the  country  from 
east  to  west  and  north  to  south,  called  for  some 
political  government,  and  the  county  of  Shasta 
made  two  townships,  to  embrace  the  two  well- 
known  localities,  Shasta  Plains  township  and  Scott 
River  township.  This  was  not  enough  for  the  peo- 
ple. Nothing  could  be  done  to  advantage  with  the 
seat  of  justice  at  Shasta,  more  than  one  hundred 
miles  away  through  the  mountains.  Population 
increased  rapidly  enough  to  warrant  the  formation 
of  a  new  county.  The  subject  was  brought  before 
the  Legislature  at  its  next  session,  and  by  the  Act 
of  March  22,  1852,  the  new  county  of  Siskiyou  was 
established,  with  the  seat  of  iustice  at  Yreka. 


CHAPTER   IX. 


SISKIYOU  COUNTY  AS  A  POLITICAL  BODY. 

When  the  State  was  divided  into  counties  by  the 
Act  of  February  18,  1850,  this  region  was  a  terra 
incognita  to  the  legislators.  The  Trinity  excitement 
was  then  at  its  height,  but  still  little  was  known  of 
that  region,  the  population  having  progressed  but 
little  beyond  the  diggings  on  the  Sacramento  river 
and  Clear  creek  and  about  Shasta.  This  whole 
region  was  erected  into  one  county  called  Shasta, 
with  the  county  seat  at  Reading's  Ranch,  and  hav- 
ing the  following  boundaries: — 

Beginning  on  the  summit  of  the  Coast  Range  in  latitude  forty- 
two  degrees  north  and  running  thence  due  east  to  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  State ;  thence  due  south,  following  the  b  jund- 
ary  of  the  State,  to  the  north-east  corner  of  Butte  county.; 
thence,  following  the  north-western  and  northern  boundaries  of 
Butte  county,  to  the  Sacramento  river;  [This  boundary  line  was  : 
Beginning  on  the  Sacramento  river  at  the  Bed  Bluffs,  in  latitude 
forty  degrees,  thirty-two  minutes,  and  twenty-three  seconds 
north,  and  running  thence  due  east  to  the  dividing  ridge  which 
separates  the  waters  flowing  into  the  Sacramento  river  below  the 
Bed  Bluffs,  and  into  the  Feather  river,  from  those  flowing  into 
the  Sacramento  river  above  the  Bed  Bluffs  ;  thence  following  the 
top  of  said  ridge  to  the  summit  of  the  Sierra  Nevada ;  thence  due 
east  to  the  boundary  of  the  State.]  thence  due  west  to  the  sum- 
mit of  the  Coast  Range  ;  thence  in  a  north-easterly  direction, 
following  the  summit  of  said  range,  to  the  place  of  beginning. 

All  that  portion  of  the  State  lying  west  of  Shasta 
county,  and  embracing  what  afterwards  formed 
Trinity,  Humboldt,  Klamath  and  Del  Norte  coun- 


ties, was  created  Trinity  county,  but  as  it  was  yet 
a  comparatively  unknown  region  it  was  attached  to 
Shasta  for  judicial  purposes.  This  action  was  taken 
because -it  was  expected  a  large  population  would 
soon  be  found  on  Trinity  river  and  about  the  bay  of 
Trinidad.  By  the  Act  of  April  25,  1851,  the  county 
seat  of  Shasta  county  was  changed  to  Shasta  City, 
and  Trinity  county  was  divided  in  two,  all  south  of 
a  line  due  east  from  the  mouth  of  Mad  river  being 
Trinity  and  all  north  of  that  line  Klamath  county. 
The  Act  of  May  28,  1851,  provided  for  the  official 
organization  of  those  two  counties,  thus  detaching 
them  from  Shasta. 

The  discovery  of  the  mines  on  Scott  river  and  at 
Yreka,  with  the  consequent  influx  of  population, 
has  all  been  detailed  in  the  previous  chapter.  So 
rapidly  did  the  population  increase  in  1851,  that  it 
became  absolutely  necessary  to  form  a  new  county. 
The  county  seat  of  Shasta  was  too  far  away,  and 
the  inconvenience  of  doing  official  business  there  was 
so  great  that  the  need  of  a  new  county  was  impera- 
tive. The  Court  of  Sessions  of  Shasta  county  had 
created  two  townships  in  this  portion  of  the  county, 
Shasta  Plains,  embracing  Yreka  and  vicinity,  and 
Scott  River  township.  When  the  Legislature  met 
in  1852,  it  created  several  new  counties  in  the  State, 
among  others  the  county  of  Siskiyou,  by  the  Act  of 
March  22,  1852. 

1 — A  new  county  is  hereby  created  known  as  the  county  of 
Siskiyou,  bounded  as  follows,  to  wit : — 

At  a  point  known  as  the  Devil's  Castle,  near  and  on  the 
opposite  side  from  Soda  Springs  on  the  upper  Sacramento  river; 
from  said  point  or  place  of  beginning  to  run  due  east  to  the  east- 
ern boundary  of  California;  and  thence  north  to  the  Oregon  line; 
and  from  thence,  running  west  along  the  boundary  line  of  the 
Territory  of  Oregon  a'id  the  State  of  California,  to  a  point  on 
said  line  due  north  of  the  mouth  of  Indian  creek  (being  the  first 
large  creek  adjoining  the  Indian  territory,  at  a  place  known  as 
Happy  Camp,  which  empties  into  the  Klamath  river  on  the 
opposite  side,  below  the  mouth  of  Scott  river);  and  from  thence 
across  Klamath  river,  running  in  a  south-easterly  course,  along 
the  summit  of  the  mountains  dividing  the  waters  of  Scott  and 
Salmon  rivers,  to  the  place  of  beginning. 

2 — The  county  seat  of  said  county  shall  be  located  at  Shasta 
Butte  City,  and  shall  be  known  by  the  name  of  Yreka  City. 

3 — There  shall  be  held  an  election  for  county  officers  in  the 
county  of  Siskiyou  on  the  first  Monday  in  May  of  the  present 
year,  1852. 

4 — Designates  offices. 

5 — H.  U-.  Furo's,  Judge  Smith,  Judge  Tutt,  David  Lowry  and 
B.  F.  Roe,  in  Siskiyou  county,  are  hereby  appointed  and  con- 
stituted a  Board  of  Commissioners  to  designate  the  election  pre- 
cincts in  the  county  of  Siskiyou  for  said  election,  to  appoint  the 
Inspectors  of  election,  etc. 

The  proper  names  of  the  commissioners  were, 
Wilson  T.  Smith,  H.  G.  Ferris,  D.  H.  Lowry, 
Charles  M.  Tutt  and  Theodore  F.  Rowe.  The  Act 
also  provided  for  the  assumption  by  Siskiyou 
county  of  its  just  proportion  of  the  debt  of  Shasta 
county,  contracted  while  it  was  a  portion  of  that 
body. 

The  commissioners  appointed  to  organize  the 
county  met  at  the  house  of  D.  H.  Lowry,  in  Yreka, 
on  the  nineteenth  of  April,  1852,  and  proceeded  to 
discharge  their  duties.  A  full  transcript  of  their 
proceedings  is  given  in  the  chapter  on  "Elections." 
The  election  was  held  on  the  third  of  May,  and  on 
the  twelfth,  the  commissioners  canvassed  the  votes, 
and  declared  the  following  gentlemen  elected,  whom 
they  also  inducted  into  office: — County  Judge,  Wil- 
liam A.  Robertson;  County  Clerk,  H.  G.  Ferris; 
Sheriff,   Charles  McDermit;  District  Attorney,  J.  D. 


JIIP 


FLEMING  G.  HEARN. 

Jacob  Hearn,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  our 
sketch,  moved  from  Maryland  to  Woodford  county, 
Kentucky,  about  the  year  1790,  where  Harrison 
Hearn  was  born  about  the  year  1800.  Here  also 
Fleming  was  born,  July  22,  1S26.  His  parents  soon 
after  located  in  Owen  county,  where  his  mother 
died  in  1836  or  1837.  The  children  were  taken  by 
the  relatives.  Two  years  later  his  father  married 
again,  and  settled  in  Shelbyville,  Kentucky,  where 
he  died  three  years  afterwards.  The  children  were 
again  taken  hj  the  relatives.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  made  his  home  with  his  uncle  in  Woodford 
county,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  went  as  apprentice 
to  a  cabinet  maker,  where  he  worked  nearly  three 
years.  He  relinquished  this  employment  on  account 
of  failing  health,  and  commenced  the  study  of  den- 
tistry. In  1846  he  joined  Capt.  Thomas  E.  Mar- 
shall's Company  E,  First  Regiment  of  Kentucky 
Cavalry,  Col.  Humphrey  Marshall  commanding,  and 
marched  from  opposite  Memphis,  through  Arkansas 
and  Texas,  to  Camargo,  Mexico;  remained  there  to 
recruit,  and  then  went  to  Monterey.  Was  with 
Colonel  Marshall  on  his  march  to  Victoria,  and  was 
one  of  the  seven  of  his  company  who  participated  in 
the  battle  of  Buena  Vista.  On  his  return  home  in 
1847,  he  resumed  the  study  of  dentistry,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1848  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  Thomas 
Carter,  a  physician  and  dentist  of  Frankfort,  now 
deceased.  In  April  he  was  won  by  the  glowing- 
accounts  of  Oregon  and  California  as  a  held  for 
young  men,  and,  selecting  a  supply  of  dental  mate- 
rial, he  bade  farewell  to  relatives  and  friends  and 
started  across  the  plains.  September  16,  1850,  he 
safely  arrived  in  Oregon  City,  where  he  remained 
for  the  winter.  Glowing  reports  from  California 
induced  him  to  go  thither,  and  on  the  eighth  of  Jan- 
uary, 1851,  he  set  out  for  the  land  of  gold.  The 
party  as  finally  made  up    consisted  of  twenty-one 


men,  F.  G.  Hearn,  Abner  C.  Hunter,  William  M. 
Rust,  William  Noble,  Israel  Staley,  John  Noble,  old 
man  Mitchell,  Henry  Mitchell,  Simeon  Traver, 
Henry  Cowen,  Jacob  Wagner,  John  Thornton, 
James  Thornton,  Henry  Vanasault,  George  Taylor, 
—  Miles,  —  Hendricks,  Joseph  Hawkins,  Samuel 
Delaplain,  —  White,  and  one  other.  They  reached 
the  mouth  of  Yreka  creek  February  26, 1851.  They 
fell  in  with  a  company  of  men  on  their  way  to  Scott 
Bar,  and  some  of  them,  including  Hearn,  united 
with  this  company  and  went  to  Scott  Bar.  In  this 
company  were  William  and  John  Burgess,  John 
Haislip,  and  Silas  J.  Day.  They  were  detained  a 
few  days  in  Scott  valley  by  a  snow-storm,  and  when 
they  reached  Scott  Bar  they  found  no  grazing  for 
their  animals.  Most  of  the  company  turned  about 
and  went  back  to  Yreka  creek  to  hunt  up  some  old 
diggings  they  had  heard  of  on  Greenhorn.  Here 
they  fell  in  with  an  Oregon  company,  one  of  whom, 
Abe  Thompson,  soon  discovered  gold  on  Yreka  flats, 
where  claims  were  at  once  staked  off,  and  work  com- 
menced in  earnest.  Mr.  Hearn,  with  Rust  and 
Hunter,  purchased  the  ground  thirty  by  sixty  feet, 
afterwards  known  as  the  PineTree  claim-  Hunter  and 
Rust  returned  East,  and  Hearn  mined  till  Septem- 
ber, when  the  exercise  of  his  profession  was  de- 
manded so  often  that  he  commenced  it  as  a  business, 
though  not  so  remunerative  as  mining.  He  mined 
again  that  winter,  and  in  March.  1852,  opened  a 
dental  office.  In  September  he  went  back  to  Ken- 
tucky, but  returned  in  the  spring  of  1853,  and  has 
ever  since  been  practicing  his  profession  in  Yreka. 
He  married  Miss  Jennie  L.  Stephenson  March  15, 
1855.  They  have  a  family  of  three  daughters  and 
one  son:  Minnie  R.,  Isabelle,  Harrison,  and  Clara. 
He  celebrated  his  thirtieth  anniversary  in  the 
county  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  last  February.  Mr. 
Hearn  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows 
and  Red  Men. 


'M  a 

— »  ^ 

§1 

-4  £ 


O    o 

r- 
IT     $ 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


65 


Cook;  Surveyor,  James  T.  Lowry;  Treasurer,  W.  D. 
Aylett;  Assessor,  Richard  Dug-an;  Coroner,  Roger  B. 
Ironside. 

Thus  was  the  new  county  of  Siskiyou  launched 
upon  the  political  sea,  upon  which  it  has  ever  since 
been  sailing. 

All  civil  affairs  of  the  counties  in  California,  at 
that  time,  were  managed  by  the  Court  of  Sessions,  a 
body  composed  of  the  county  judge  and  two  jus- 
tices of  the  peace.  The  first  meeting  of  this  court 
was  held  on  the  seventh  of  June,  as  fully  appears  in 
the  history  of  the  courts.  It  became  evident  that  the 
two  townships  of  Shasta  Plains  and  Scott  River 
were  not  enough,  so  rapidly  did  the  population 
increase  and  spread,  and  at  the  first  session  the  fol- 
lowing order  was  made: — 

Ordered  by  the  Court,  that  the  name  of  the  township  of  Siski- 
you county,  known  as  Shasta  Plains  township,  be,  and  it  is  hereby, 
changed  to  Yreka  township. 

Oidered  by  the  Court,  that  there  be  another  township  set  off 
and  organized  in  this  county,  to  be  known  as  Humbugtownship, 
and  bounded  as  f  Hows,  to  wit:  Commencing  at  the  mouth  of  a 
creek  emptying  into  the  Klamath  river,  ab  mt  twelve  miles  above 
the  mouth  of  Scott  river,  and  nearly  oppisite  to  a  creek  empty- 
ing into  the  Klamath  river  from  the  north  side,  both  of  which 
streams  are  usually  called  Indian  creek;  and  up  said  cre»-k  from 
its  mouth,  in  a  southerly  direction,  to  the  top  of  the  divide  sep  i- 
rating  the  waters  of  said  creek  from  the  waters  of  Scott  river, 
Shasta  river  and  of  Humbug  creek;  and  along  said  divide,  in  all 
its  windings  and  bearings,  to  the  termination  of  said  divide, 
between  the  mouth  of  Shasta  river  and  Humbug  creek;  and 
thence  down  the  Klamath  river  to  the  place  of  beginning. 

On  the  eighth  of  June,  James  L.  Freaner  and  H. 
G.  Ferris  were  appointed  commissioners  to  confer 
with  like  officials  of  Shasta  county  as  to  the  propor- 
tion of  the  debt  the  new  county  should  assume. 
There  is  no  record  to  show  the  result  of  the  confer- 
ence. 

On  the  twenty-ninth  of  May  an  election  had  been 
held  in  Shasta  Plains,  or  Shasta  Butte  City  township, 
and  in  Scott  River  township,  for  justices  and  con- 
stables, by  order  of  the  county  judge,  and  the  day 
after  the  township  of  Humbug  was  created  the 
judge  also  ordered  an  election  therein  for  the  same 
officials,  to  be  held  June  26,  1852.  At  the  general 
election  in  November,  justices  and  constables  were 
elected  for  the  regular  term  in  these  three  town- 
ships. 

On  the  seventh  of  December,  1852,  the  court 
created  the  township  of  Cottonwood,  embracing  all 
that  poition  of  the  county  lying  north  of  Klamath 
river,  and  ordered  an  election  to  be  held  therein  on 
the  twenty-fourth  of  the  same  month.  At  this 
election  Thomas  O'Neal  was  chosen  justice  and 
William  Chance,  constable,  but  the  gentlemen  failed 
to  qualify,  and  the  first  officials  of  the  township 
were  those  elected  in  September  of  the  following 
year,  as  appears  in  the  list  given  in  the  history  of 
the  courts,  to  which  reference  is  made  for  township 
officials. 

These  four  townships  comprised  the  whole  county 
until  February  27,  1855,  when  the  rapid  settlement 
of  Scott  valley  led  the  court  to  make  the  following 
Older: — 

It  is  ordered  by  the  Court  that  that  portion  of  Siskiyou  county 
known  as  Scott  valley,  embracing  the  slopes  declining  towards 
the  valley,  and  the  tributary  streams  thereto,  be,  and  the  same  is 
hereby,  erected  into  a  separate  township,  to  be  known  as  Scott 
Valley  township. 

An  election  for  township  officers  was  called  for  the 
twelfth  of  March,  1855. 
9 


Thus  was  the  county  divided  into  five  townships, 
when  the  Court  of  Sessions  was  superseded  by  a 
board  of  supervisors,  Yreka,  Scott  River,  Humbug, 
Cottonwood  and  Scott  Valley. 

A  general  Act  for  the  creation  of  boards  of  super- 
visors in  the  various  counties  was  passed  by  the 
Legislature  in  1855,  by  which  the  county  clerk, 
assessor  and  surveyor  were  created  a  special  board 
for  the  purpose  of  dividing  the  county  into  districts 
and  providing  for  the  election  of  supervisors  therein. 
The  proceedings  of  this  board,  in  and  for  Siskiyou 
county,  are  as  follows: — 

State  of  California,  ) 

County  of  Siskiyou,     f 

In  compliance  with  the  provisions  of  Section  Second  of  an 
Act  of  the  Legislature  of  th  s  State,  entitled  "An  Act  to  Create 
a  Board  of  Supervisors  in  the  Counties  of  this  State,  and  to 
define  their  Duties  and  Powers,''  the  Comity  Clerk,  H.  G-. 
Ferris,  the  County  Assessor,  Samuel  P.  Fair,  and  the  County 
Surveyor,  E.  M.  Stevens,  ui3t  as  a  Special  Board  of  Supervisors, 
at  the  office  of  the  County  Clerk,  in  Yreka  City,  the  County  Seat 
of  said  county,  on  Saturday,  the  thirty-first  day  of  March,  A. 
D.  1S55,  at  four  o'clock  P.  M  ,  for  the  transaction  of  business,  as 
required  by  the  Act  aforesaid. 

It  is  ordered  by  the  Board,  that  this  county  be  divided  into 
three  Supervisor  Districts,  as  follows,  to  wit: — 

The  first  district  shall  be  that  portion  of  Siskiyou  county 
known  as  Yreka  township,  to  be  called  Yreka  District. 

The  second  district  shall  embrace  that  portion  of  Siskiyou 
county  included  in  Scott  Valley  township  and  Scott  River  town- 
ship, to  be  called  Scott  River  district. 

The  third  district  shall  embrace  that  portion  of  Siskiyou 
county  included  in  Humbug  township  and  Cottonwood  town- 
ship, to  be  called  Klamath  district. 

Ordered  that  bills,  or  notices,  of  the  election  provided  for  in 
the  Act  above  referred  to,  including  the  division  of  the  county 
into  districts  as  above  made,  be  published  and  circulated  immedi- 
ately, throughout  the  sever. d  election  precincts  of  this  county. 

Ordered  this  Board  do  now  adjourn  sine  die. 

H.  G.  Ferris,     1  Special  Board 

S.  P.  Fair,  of 

E.  M.  Stevens,  )    Supervisors. 

In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  Act  and 
the  action  of  this  board  a  special  election  was  held 
on  the  ninth  of  April,  1855,  resulting  in  the  choice 
of  the  following  gentlemen  to  constitute  the  first 
board  of  supervisors  : — 

Yreka  district,  Owen  McCoy;  Scott  River  dis- 
trict, D.  M.  Davidson;  Klamath  district,  Charles 
D.  Smith. 

These  gentlemen  assembled  in  Yreka  on  the 
seventh  of  the  succeeding  May,  for  the  purpose  of 
holding  the  first  regular  meeting.  Mr.  Davidson 
was  unanimously  chosen  chairman.  Two  days 
were  consumed  in  reading  and  discussing  the  record 
of  the  Court  of  Sessions,  after  which  all  the  acts  of 
that  body,  in  civil  matters,  were  approved,  save  an 
order  authorizing  the  treasurer  to  loan  the  money 
in  the  building-  fund.  From  that  date  all  the  busi- 
ness  of  the  county,  pertaining  to  its  civil  govern- 
ment, has  been  transacted  by  this  board  and  its 
successors. 

By  this  time  Shasta  valley  had  become  well  set- 
tled and  a  region  of  enough  importance  to  demand 
a  separate  organization,  therefore  it  was  created  a 
township  on  the  seventh  of  August,  1855,  with  the 
following  boundaries  : — 

Beginning  at  the  eastern  point  of  the  bluff  or  mountain  about 
one-half  mi Le  south  of  J.  S.  Oldham's  ranch;  thence  easterly  to 
the  southern  point  of  the  mountain  called  Sheep  Rock;  thence 
south  to  the  county  line;  thence  westerly,  along  said  line,  to  a 
point  due  south  of  the  dividing  ridge  between  Shasta  and  Scott 
rivers;  thence  northerly,  along  said  dividing  ridge,  to  the  point 
where  the  spur  of  the  mountain  leads  off  easterly  and  forms  the 
divide  which  terminates  at  the  point  of  starting;  thence  east- 


66 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


erly,  along  said  dividing  spur,  to  the  point,  or  place,  of  begin- 
ning. 

This  received  the  name  of  Shasta  Yalley  township, 
and  officers  were  chosen  at  the  general  election,  held 
the  following  month. 

On  the  same  day,  the  seventh  of  August,  the 
board  set  off  another  township,  in  the  south-west 
corner  of  the  county,  and  called  it  South  township. 
Officers  were  also  chosen  here  at  the  September  elec- 
tion.    The  boundaries  were : — 

Beginning  at  the  western  point  of  the  hill,  or  bluff,  on  the  east 
side  of  Seott  river,  immediately  below  Fort  Jones;  thence  west, 
crossing  Scott  river,  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  on  the  west  side; 
thence  still  westerly,  along  the  dividing  ridge  of  said  mountain, 
to  its  south-westerly  point;  and  thence  due  west  to  the  western 
boundary  of  the  county;  thence  southerly,  along  said  county 
line,  bearing  fund  with  the  same  toward  the  east,  to  a  point 
due  south  of  the  dividing  ridge  between  Scott  and  Shasta  rivers; 
thence  northerly,  along  said  ridge,  to  the  point  where  the  spur  of 
said  ridge  bears  off  westerly,  forming  the  divide  which  extends 
to  the  place  of  starting;  and  thence  along  said  ridge  to  the  place 
of  beginning. 

The  next  to  be  created  was  Klamath  township, 
on  the  fourteenth  of  August,  1856,  officers  being 
chosen  at  the  general  election  held  the  following 
November.     The  boundaries  being  as  follows: — 

To  include  all  the  territory  in  the  county  drained  by  Klam- 
ath river  and  its  tributaries,  from  a  straight  line  crossing  said 
Kb  math  river  at  right  auglt-s,  at  the  mouth  of  Burwell's  creek, 
and  extending  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  on  both  sides;  (snid 
Burwell's  creek  empties  into  the  Klamath  river  about  five  miles 
below  Humbug,  and  about  five  miles  above  Cook  &  Green's 
ranch,  being  the  creek  from  which  water  is  carried,  by  means  of 
a  ditch,  to  Burwell's  Bar);  thence  along  the  summits  of  the 
mountains  on  both  sides  of  the  Klamath  river,  in  a  westerly 
course,  to  the  western  boundary  line  of  the  county — said  western 
boundary  line  being  a  north  and  south  line,  crossing  said  Klam- 
ath river  at  the  month  of  Indian  creek,  passing  a  few  rods  west 
of  Doolittle's  house. 

These  townships  all  remained  a  portion  of  the 
supervisor  district  to  which  they  had  belonged 
before  they  were  detached. 

In  compliance  with  the  Acts  of  February  4th  and 
March  31,  1857,  requiring  the  boards  of  supervisors 
to  set  off  and  define  and  number  the  proper  super- 
visor districts  in  the  counties,  the  board  of  super- 
visors made  the  following  assignment,  on  the  sixth 
of  August,  1857,  the  townships  remaining  in  the  same 
districts  to  which  they  had  formerly  belonged: — 

District  No.  1 — South,  Scott  Valley,  Scott  River 
and  Klamath  townships. 

District  No.  2 — Humbug  and  Cottonwood  town- 
ships. 

District  No.  3 — Yreka  and  Shasta  Yalley  town- 
ships. 

May  6,  1859,  the  boundary  between  Scott  Valley 
and  South  townships  was  more  definitely  declared, 
as  follows: — 

Commencing  on  the  west  side  of  Scott  valley,  at  a  point 
between  Wilson  &  Bro.,  and  Bradford  &  Young's  ranches, 
and  thence  running  east,  along  the  line  of  the  new  road  across 
the  valley,  as  far  as  the  valley  extends;  also,  on  the  same  line, 
westerly,  as  far  as  the  valley  extends.  The  township  south  of 
said  line,  and  within  the  limits  of  said  valley,  to  be  known  as 
South  township;  and  that  north  of  said  line,  within  the  limits 
of  said  valley,  to  be  known  as  Seott  Valley  township. 

In  1860  the  name  of  Shasta  Valley  township  was 
changed  to  Butte  township,  the  officers  being  elected 
as  such,  as  appears  in  the  list  given  in  the  history 
of  the  courts. 

The  township  of  Table  Rock  was  created  on  the 
twelfth  of  August,  1862,  and  officers  were  elected  at 


the  general  election  in  September.     The  following 
were  declared  to  be  the  boundaries: — 

All  that  portion  of  Yreka  township  lying  north  and  east  of 
Shasta  river,  and  bounded  as  follows,  to  wit:  Commencing  at 
the  mouth  of  Shasta  river,  and  running  thence  up  said  river  to 
the  crossing  of  the  township  line  dividing  Yreka  and  Butte 
townships;  continuing  thence  east,  on  said  line,  to  the  eastern 
boundary  of  Siskiyou  county;  thence  north  to  Klamath  river; 
thence  djwn  said  river  to  the  place  of  beginning. 

August  8,  1865,  a  portion  of  Table  Rock  town- 
ship was  restored  to  Yreka  township,  being  that 
portion  lying 

Between  Shasta  river  on  the  south  and  Klamath  river  on  the 
north  and  west  and  a  line  commencing  twenty  rods  above  the 
ford  on  Shasta  river,  known  as  the  town  ford  (and  being  about 
one-fourth  of  a  mile  ab  ive  Yreka  creek),  and  extending  north 
to  a  point  on  Klamath  river  about  one-half  mile  above  the  ferry 
of  Groat  &  Lopez. 

This   section    with   a    little    addition   was   again 

specifically  set  off  to  Yreka  township,  February  4, 

1867:— 

That  portion  of  Table  Rock  township  lying  east  of  Shasta 
river,  known  as  the  Willow  creek  country,  commencing  at  a 
point  on  Shasta  river  near  the  head  of  Sehleditz's  mill-race,  and 
running  thence  easterly,  in  a  straight  line,  to  the  head  of  Willow 
creek,  and  embracing  all  the  country  north  thereof  to  the 
Klamath  river,  be  added  to  Yreka  township. 

The  growth  of  the  settlement  in  Surprise  valley,  in 
the  extreme  eastern  end  of  the  county  on  the  other 
slope  of  the  mountains,  rendered  it  necessary  in  1864 
to  establish  a  township  there  for  judicial  purposes. 
Accordingly,  on  the  twenty-first  of  November  of 
that  year,  the  board  of  supervisors  took  the  follow- 
ing action: — 

Ordered  by  the  Board  that  that  portion  of  Surprise  valley 
lying  and  being  in  Siskiyou  county,  be  known  as  Surprise  Valley 
township,  and  that  the  same  be  declared  in  Supervisor  District 
number  three  (3). 

Also  ordered  that  J.  A.  Wise  and  B.  A.  Farmer  be,  and  they 
hereby  are,  appointed  Justices  of  the  Peace  of  s  iid  Surprise  Valley 
township,  to  serve  as  such  until  the  next  general  election,  upon 
their  ta  ,  itvg  the  oath  of  office  and  filing  an  approved  bund  in  the 
sum  of  two  thousand  d  -liars. 

Also  ordered  that  R.  J.  Watson  and  H.  H.  Dickinson  be,  and 
they  hereby  are,  appointed  constablts  of  s»id  Surprise  Valley 
township,  to  serve  as  such  until  the  next  general  election,  upon 
their  taking  the  oath  of  office  and  rilLig  an  approved  bond  in  the 
sum  of  two  thousand  dollars. 

These  gentlemen  di  1  not  qualify,  and  the  new 
township  had  no  officers  until  after  the  general 
election  in  September,  1865. 

The  exact  location  of  the  boundary  line  between 
California  and  Oregon  was  not  definitely  determined 
upon  until  the  fall  of  1868,  when  the  line  was  run 
by  th.3  surveyors  of  the  United  States  government. 
In  a  number  of  localities  bordering  upon  the  line,  and 
especially  on  Beaver  creek,  the  collection  of  taxes, 
either  by  this  county  or  Jackson  county,  Oregon, 
had  been  for  some  time  a  matter  of  difficulty.  Sev- 
eral attempts  were  made  by  the  county  surveyor, 
by  order  of  the  board  of  supervisors,  to  determine 
whether  or  not  the  Beaver  creek  settlements  were  in 
the  county,  but  to  little  purpose.  The  estalishinent 
of  the  line  by  the  government  settled  the  point 
beyond  all  controversy,  and  monuments  now  mark 
the  spots  where  the  line  crosses  the  traveled  high- 
ways and  other  points  of  importance. 

Another  township  was  created  in  what  is  now 
Modoc  county,  November  3,  1869.  A  strip  along  the 
western  end  of  that  territory  was  erected  into  Big 
Valley  township  at  that  time,  but  officers  were  not 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY  CALIFORNIA. 


G7 


elected    until    the    following    year.     The   following 
boundaries  were  defined  for  the  new  township: — 

Beginning  at  the  top  of  the  Blue  mountains,  at  the  point  where 
the  Oregon  line  crosses  the  same;  running  thence  in  a  southerly 
course  along  the  top  of  said  mountains  to  the  southern  end 
thereof,  and  continuing  thence  in  a  southerly  course,  iii  a  straight 
line,  to  Boiling  springs;  thence  due  south,  to  the  southern  boun- 
dary of  Siskiyou  county;  thence  in  a  westerly  course,  along  the 
saul  southern  boundary  of  said  county,  to  the  divide  from  which 
the  waters  of  the  McCloud  river  tiow;  thence  in  a  northerly 
course,  along  the  divide,  leaving  the  territory  drai  ied  by 
McCloud  river  in  Butte  township,  and  continuing  along  the 
divide  separatingthe  waiers  which  11  >w  into  Shasta  and  Klamath 
rivers  on  the  one  side,  and  Butte  valley  on  the  other  side,  to  the 
Oregon  line;  thence  in  an  easterly  course,  along  said  Oregon  line, 
to  the  place  of  beginning. 

On  the  fifteenth  of  March,  1870,  Butte  township 
was  abolished,  and  made  a  part  of  Yreka  township. 

A  portion  of  Table  Rjck  and  Cottonwood  town- 
ships was  also  added  to  Yreka  township,  February 
6,  1871,  as  follows: — 

Commencing  at  or  near  the  head  of  Willow  creek;  running 
from  thence  to  what  is  known  as  "Ike's  corral,"  on  the  Oregon 
line;  thence  in  a  westerly  course,  along  the  Oregon  line,  to  the 
head  of  Jenny  creek;  thence  down  said  Jenny  creek,  in  a  south- 
erly course,  to  its  confluence  with  the  Klam.ith  river — and  that 
the  same  be  declared  a  part  of  Yreka  township. 

Still  another  township  was  set  off  in  the  Modoc 
country,  embracing  the  considerable  settlement  in 
Hot  Spring  valley,  November  6,  1871.  To  this 
judicial  district  was  given  the  name  of  Hot  Sprincr 
township,  and  a  justice  of  the  peace  was  appointed. 
The  following  boundaries  were  declared: — 

Commencing  at  the  summit  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains 
between  Hot  Spring  valley  and  Surprise  valley,  on  the  line 
between  Lassen  and  Siskiyou  counties;  running  tnence  weste.ly, 
along  the  Lassen  county  north  line,  to  the  summit  of  the  mount- 
ain dividing  the  waters  from  Hot  Spring  and  iiig  valleys;  thence 
northerly,  along  the  summit  of  the  mountains,  until  passing  the 
head  of  Rush  creek;  thence  north-westerly,  along  the  dividing 
ridge  between  Stone  Coal  valley  and  Big  valley;  thence  across 
Pit  river  to  the  emigrant  road  coming  from  the  north,  on  the 
west  side  of  John  Philip  Miller's  place;  thence  northerly,  along 
said  emigrant  road,  until  it  strikes  the  foot  of  Tule  lake;  thence 
up  Tule  lake,  on  the  west  side  of  the  island;  thence  north  to  the 
Oregon  line,  thence  east,  along  the  Oregon  line,  to  the  summit 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada  miuntiius;  tnence  following  the  summit  of 
the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains,  to  the  point  of  starting 

A  new  township  was  created  in  the  western  end 
of  the  county,  July  15,  1871,  and  called  Mountain 
township.  No  justice  of  the  peace  has  ever  sei  ved 
in  this  township,  but  a  constable  qualified  in  1S73 
ami  in  1875.  The  township  was  originally  set  off 
May  1,  1871,  but  the  boundaries  were  definitely 
declared  on  the  fifteenth  of  the  next  July,  and  are  as 
follows: — 

Commencing  at  the  junction  of  Scott  and  Klamath  rivers; 
thence  following  the  dividing  ridge  between  said  rivers,  in  an 
easterly  direction,  to  the  head  of  McKinney  creek;  thence  fol- 
lowing the  dividing  ridge  between  Indian  and  B.irkhouse  creeks; 
from  thence  to  the  head  of  Little  Humbug  creek,  the  dividing 
ridge  of  Little  Humbug  creek  and  the  north  fork  of  Main  Hum" 
bug  creek;  thence  following  to  the  head  of  Vesey  creek;  thence 
down  Vesey  creek  to  its  m  luth;  thence  across  the  river;  thence 
in  a  direct  line  to  the  mouth  of  the  west  fork  of  Braver  creek; 
thence  up  the  west  fork  of  Beaver  creek  to  the  Oregon  line;  from 
thence,  following  the  State  line,  to  a  point  due  north  from  the 
junction  of  Scott  and  Klamath  rivers;  from  thence  due  south  to 
the  point  of  starting. 

This  was  made  a  portion  of  supervisor  district, 
No.  2.  l 

The  next  change  in  the  composition  of  the  county 
was  a  very  important  one,  being  no  less  than  a  cutting 
off  of  the  whole  eastern  end,  to  form  the  new  county 


of  Modoc.  In  order  to  understand  fully  the  reason 
for  this  and  the  steps  that  led  up  to  it,  it  is  necessary 
to  go  back  a  number  of  years  and  follow  its  history. 

In  18G3  there  was  a  controversy  between  the 
State  of  California  and  the  new  Territory  of  Nevada 
as  to  the  location  of  the  boundary  line.  The  settle- 
ment at  Susanville,  in  Honey  Lake  valley,  had 
played  quite  an  important  part  in  the  organiza 
tion  of  Nevada.  It  was  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
Sierra,  and  was  supposed  to  be  beyond  the  limits  of 
this  State.  As  early  as  1859  a  provisional  govern- 
ment was  formed  in  Western  Utah,  and  Hon. 
Isaac  Roop,  of  Susanville  was  elected  governor,  and 
when  the  Territory  of  Nevada  was  organized  in 
1801,  the  county  of  Lake,  now  called  Roop,  was 
formed,  embracing  Honey  Lake  valley,  with  the 
seat  of  justice  at  Susanville.  The  authoritiesof  the 
county  of  Plumas,  in  this  State,  laid  claim  to  the 
beautiful  and  fertile  valley,  and  undertook  to  collect 
taxesthere,  which  action  resulted,  in  the  winter  of 
1S62-G3,  in  a  conflict  of  jurisdiction,  and  a  reference 
of  the  difficulties  was  made  to  a  joint  commission 
appointed  by  California  and  Nevada.  Still  further 
south  the  same  uncertainty  existed.  Trie  town  of 
Aurora,  in  Esmeralda  county,  Nevada,  was  so  near 
the  line  that  it  was  made  the  county  seat  of  that 
county  and  also  of  Mono  county,  in  this  State,  an  1 
officers  were  elected  there  for  both  counties.  The 
same  year  quite  a  mining  excitement  sprang  up  in 
the  eastern  end  of  this  county,  and  the  town  of 
Trilake  City  was  laid  out  near  the  boundary  line. 
The  silver  ledges  attracted  a  great  many  people, 
who  lived  in  blissful  ignorance  of  to  which  their  pro|  er 
allegiance  was  due,  California  or  Nevada.  The  sur- 
vey of  the  boundary  line  in  the  fall  of  1863  located 
Aurora  in  Neva  la  and  Susanville  and  Lake  City  in 
California.  The  new  county  of  Lassen  was  formed, 
with  Susanville  for  the  county  seat. 

About  this  time  settlers  begin  to  enter  the  ex- 
treme eastern  end  of  Siskiyou  county.  Attention 
was  first  attracted  by  the  discovery  of  quartz  ledges 
by  the  irrepressible  prospector,  as  has  been  the 
almost  universal  rule  on  this  coast,  but  the  fertile  val- 
leys onc<?  known  were  too  inviting  to  be  resisted,  and 
the  prospector  was  succeeded  by  the  settler.  Stock- 
raising  was  the  first  and  is  still  the  leading  industry. 
Luxuriant  bunch  grass  grew  in  abundance,  forming  a 
veritable  stoekman's  para  Use.  Graiually  Goose 
Lake  valley,  Surprise  valley,  Big  valley,  Warm 
Spring  valley,  Pit  river  and  all  the  large  and  small 
valleys  and  fertile  spots  in  eastern  Siskiyou  and 
northern  Lassen  became  settled.  The  distance  from 
either  Yreka  or  Susanville,  where  all  county  and 
legal  business  was  transacted,  rendered  the  gov- 
ernment of  this  region  by  Siskiyou  anl  Lissena 
matter  of  great  difficulty  and  expense  to  the  county, 
and  annoyance  to  the  people. 

As  soon  as  population  became  sufficiently  dense 
to  support  a  county  government  without  too  severe 
a  tax  upon  the  people,  the  question  of  the  formation 
of  a  new  county  was  discussed.  To  this  end  the 
people  of  Surprise  valley  petitioned  the  Legislature 
to  create  a  new  county,  taken  from  the  north  end 
of  Lassen  and  eastern  end  of  Siskiyou  and  Shasta 
counties,  with  the  county  seat  in  that  valley.  A 
counter  petition  was  presented  by  the  citizens  of  Big 
valley  and  Fall  and  Pit  rivers,  who  could  not  see 


68 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


that  this  move  would  solve  their  difficulties,  as  it 
still  left  them  at  a  great  distance  from  the  county 
seat.  The  measure  failed,  and  as  a  relief  the  Legis- 
lature of  1872  empowered  the  judge  to  hold  court 
at  Lake  City,  the  first  term  being  opened  there  July 
8,  1872. 

The  project  was  not  abandoned,  and  Assembly- 
man Cressier  introduced  a  bill,  in  1874,  to  create 
the  new  county  of  Canby,  out  of  the  east  end  of 
Siskiyou  and  the  north  end  of  Lassen.  It  was  bit- 
terly opposed  by  the  people  of  Lissen  county,  with 
the  exception  of  the  two  hundred  who  lived  in  the 
section  to  be  segregated.  The  total  population  of 
that  county  was  but  thirteen  hundred,  the  assessment 
roll  $1,200,000,  and  the  county  debt  $31,000.  It 
was  claimed  that  if  the  county  was  deprived  of  this 
territory  it  would  not  be  able  to  maintain  a  gov- 
ernment, and  would  have  to  be  disorganized.  The 
people  in  the  extreme  north-eastern  portion  of  Siski- 
you county  also  opposed  it  for  local  reasons.  *  They 
knew  that  if  a  portion  of  Lassen  county  was  taken 
in,  the  population  in  the  southern  portion  of  the  new 
county  would  be  in  a  sufficient  majority  to  have  the 
county  seat  settled  among  them,  and  so  they,  also, 
wanted  Lassen  county  to  be  left  unshorn.  The 
people  of  western  Siskiyou  were  perfectly  willing  to 
part  with  the  territory  under  consideration.  It 
cost  the  county  all  or  more  than  the  revenue  from 
it  amounted  to,  to  govern  the  section,  and  they  were 
contented  to  let  them  go  in  any  shape  that  seemed 
to  their  best  interests. 

The  bill  was  defeated  in  consideration  of  the  ina- 
bility of  Lassen  county  to  spare  any  of  its  territory, 
and  another  bill  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the 
situation  was  immediately  framed  by  Mr.  Cressier. 
This  provided  for  the  formation  of  the  county  of 
Summit  out  of  the  eastern  portion  of  Siskiyou.  In 
this  shape  the  bill  passed  the  Assembly  and  went 
to  the  Senate,  where  it  was  amended  by  changing 
the  name  to  Modoc  county,  and  then  passed.  Feb- 
ruary 17, 1874,  it  received  the  signature  of  the  gov- 
ernor and  became  a  law. 

It  provided  for  the  creation  of  Modoc  county  out 
of  that  portion  of  Siskiyou  lying  east  of  the  line 
between  ranges  four  and  five  east  of  the  Mount 
Diablo  meridian.  Five  commissioners  were  to  be 
appointed  by  the  governor  to  organize  the  county 
and  provide  for  the  election  of  officers  and  to  canvass 
and  declare  the  vote.  Dorris'  Bridge,  now  called 
Alturas,  was  made  the  temporary  county  seat.  It 
also  provided  for  the  appointment  of  two  com- 
missioners each  by  the  counties  of  Modoc  and  Siski- 
you, to  ascertain  the  amount  of  the  debt  of  the  latter 
county  that  should  be  assumed  by  the  former,  for 
which  Modoc  county  should  issue  ten-year  bonds  at 
ten  per  cent,  interest  to  Siskiyou  county;  also,  to 
ascertain  what  porportion  of  the  money  in  the  hos- 
pital and  school  funds  of  Siskiyou  county  properly 
belonged  to  the  segregated  portion,  which  amount 
was  to  be  paid  in  cash  to  the  treasurer  of  Modoc 
county. 

The  governor  appointed  William  McCormick, 
Sr.,  W.  A.  McClure,  George  Townsend,  Columbus 
Dorris  and  W  B.  Swearinger  as  commissioners  to 
organize  the  county,  and  Juuus  Holleman  as  county 
judge.  The  commissioners  called  an  election  for 
May  5,   1874,  at  which  time  a  full  set  of  county 


officials  was  chosen,  the  county  scat  located  at 
Alturas,  and  the  county  fully  organized. 

June  20,  1874,  the  Supervisors  of  Siskiyou 
appointed  Franklin  B.  Hogeboom  and  Homer  B. 
Warren  as  members  of  the  joint  commission.  J.  J. 
Dorris  and  G.  F.  Harris  were  appointed  by  the 
Modoc  county  supervisors.  On  the  fifth  of  August 
they  all  met  at  the  court  house  in  Yreka,  examined 
the  books  and  vouchers  and  agreed  upon  the  follow- 
ing report: — 

Total  Indebtedness $57,770  43 

"     Assets 24,070  26 

Actual  Indebtedness $32,800  17 

Total  Assessment  of  1873 $3,69S,683  00 

Total  portion  set  off  to  Modoc 1,105,825  00 

Modoc  portion  of  debt..  .$  9,808  53 
Delinquent     List     1872-73 

and  1873-74  charged  to 

Modoc 4,377  09 

One-half  of  witness  fees.  .  .  3  30 

Total  amount  due  Siskiyou $14,186  92 

Cash     due    Modoc    county 

School  Fund $3,223  40 

Hospital  "      91 L  70 

Road  "      122  00 

Delinquent  Taxes 4,377  03 $3,634  19 

The  report  was  approved  by  the  supervisors  of 
both  counties  and  a3ted  upon.  Mo  loc  county  bonds 
were  issued  to  Siskiyou  county,  to  the  amount  of 
$14,000,  in  twenty-eight  bonds  of  $500  each,  leav- 
ing a  balance  due  in  cash  of  $186  92.  Up  to  Janu- 
ary 1,  1881,  ten  of  these  bonds  hid  been  redeemed 
anil  Modoc  had  paid  Siskiyou  $12  500.98.  Of  this 
sum  $5,000  were  principal ;  $7,314  00  interest,  and 
$186.92  the  cash   balance  unprovided  for  hy  bonds. 

The  census  of  1880  gives  Mo  Joe  county  a  popula- 
tion of  4,383. 

Following  upon  the  heels  of  the  departing  Mo  loc 
came  a  section  of-  Klamath  county,  thus  adding  to 
Siskiyou  on  the  west  nearly  as  much  as  was  taken 
away  on  the  east.  The  slock  ranges  of  the  eastern 
slope  were  exchanged  for  the  auriferous  bars  and 
ledges  of  the  Salmon.  Quite  a  histoiy  appertains  to 
the  acquisition  of  this  new  territory. 

As  early  as  1871  the  question  of  the  disorganiza- 
tion of  Klamath  county  was  widely  discussed  by 
the  newspapers  of  the  northern  portion  of  the  State. 
The  majority  of  the  people  of  that  county  were  in 
favor  of  the  action.  The  population  had  become  so 
reduced,  and  the  assessment  valuation  was  so  low,  that 
it  was  a  great  burden  upon  the  people  to  maintain  a 
county  government,  and  an  impossibility  to  pay  the 
debt,  that  already  amounted  to  twenty  thousand 
dollars  and  was  annually  increasing.  Under  these 
circumstances  it  was  deemed  best  to  disorganize  the 
county  and  to  annex  the  territory  to  the  surround- 
in  or  counties  as  would  be  the  most  convenient  and 
for  the  best  interest  of  the  citizens.  A  bill  to  sub- 
mit the  question  of  disorganization  to  a  popular  vote 
of  Klamath  county  was  introduced  into  the  Legisla- 
ture of  1872,  but  failed  to  pass. 

The  matter  remained  in  abeyance,  a'though  being 
more  or  less  discussed,  until  the  Legislature  again 
met  in  1874.  A  petition  of  the  citizens  of  Klamath 
county  was  then  presented,  praying  that  the  count}' 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY  CALIFORNIA. 


DAVID   HORN, 

Eldest  son  of  Hard  man  and  Jane  (Dudgeon)  Horn, 
was  born  near  Waynesfield,  Auglaize  county,  Ohio, 
on  the  first  day  of  January,  1843.  His  parents 
were  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Ohio,  and  were 
engaged  in  farming.  Young  David  was  kept  at 
home  working  on  the  farm  in  summer,  but  attended 
district  school  during  the  winters  of  his  boyhood. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen,  being  persuaded  that  he 
could  better  his  condition  by  going  westward,  he 
fixed  upon  California  as  his  destination,  and  on  the 
eleventh  of  May,  1862,  in  company  with  ten  friends, 
took  the  ship  Northern  Light  at  New  York  for 
Panama,  and  having  reached  the  Pacitic,  boarded 
the  St.  Louis  for  San  Francisco,  where  he  arrived 
the  tenth  of  April.  He  removed  at  once  to  Trinity 
county  and  engaged  to  work  three  months  on  the 
Shasta  and  Weaverville  toll-road,  for  which  service 
he  did  not  get  any  pay.  This  not  being  a  very 
encouraging  outlook,  at  the  end  of  his  time  he  hired 
himself  to  the  California  Stage  Company  for  a  year, 
as  collector  of  tolls.  He  afterwards  was  engaged  in 
mining  at  Trinity  Center,  but  without  success.  But 
these  reverses  did  not  dishearten  him.  At  this  time 
he  began  driving  a  team  for  Wm.  McConnell,  and 
continued  at  this  labor  for  three  years.  In  April, 
1807,  he  purchased  a  livery  stable  at  Fort  Jones, 
which  business  he  ran  until  1875,  when  Mr.  A.  A. 
Beem  bought  him  out.  Mr.  Horn  then  bought  the 
farm  on  the  island  which  he  now  owns.  In  1873 
he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  government  during  the 
Modoc  troubles,  and  made  very  successful  ventures 
in  contracting  and  teaming.  This  work  was  the  most 
profitable  he  had  done  on  the  coast.  Since  buying  his 
farm,  he  has  devoted  his  time  to  farming  and  stock- 
growing,  carrying  on  also  a  thriving  butchering 
business.  His  farm  contains  480  acres  of  as  good  land  as 
can  be  found  in  Scott  valley.  His  residence  is  in  Fort 
Jones.  Adjoining  it  he  erected,  in  1878,  a  two-story 
concrete  block,  fifty  by  sixty  feet,  one-half  of  which 
he  now  occupies  with  a  meat  market.  The  other 
half  contains  a  hardware  and  tin  store.  The  sec- 
ond story  is  divided  into  fine  rooms  for  offices.  The 
cost  of  the  building  was  over  $6,000.  He  is  also  inter- 
ested in  a  large  stock  range  ten  miles  east  of  Henly, 
on  Klamath  river,  where  he  has  150  head  of  horses 
and  700  or  800  cattle.  This  is  perhaps  his  best  pay- 
ing property.  On  the  sixth  of  March,  1870,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Clara  J.  Hutchinson,  daughter  of 
William  and  Susan  Hutchinson,  of  Chandlersville, 
Ohio,  who  had  removed  to  Scott  Bar  in  this  county. 
By  this  union  five  children  were  born,  four  of  whom 
are  still  living.  Their  names  are :  Dora  Anna,  born 
February  13,  1871;  Clara  Belle,  born  July  6,  1873; 
Hardman,  born  March  31,  1875;  Susan  Jane,  born 
October  9,  1877;  David  Marshall,  born  December 
10,  1879.  Clara  Belle  died  May  29,  1874.  Mr. 
Horn  is  a  member  of  North  Star  Lodge,  No.  91,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  at  Fort  Jones;  Cyrus  Chapter, 
No.  15,  at  Yreka;  Fort  Jones  Lodge,  No.  115,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows;  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen,  of  Fort  Jones ;  Scott  Valley 
Encampment,  No.  39,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  He  has  held  all  the  offices  in  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  all  but  master  in  the  Masons.  In  religion 
he  is  Protestant ;  in  politics,  Democratic.     Mr.  Horn 


came  to  the  coast  without  means,  and  in  the  few 
yeai-s  he  has  resided  here,  has,  by  temperate  habits, 
strict  attention  to  business  and  unswerving  integ- 
rity, accumulated  a  handsome  competence,  besides 
earning  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  all  his  neigh- 
bors. He  has  always  been  an  earnest  worker  in 
matters  pertaining  to  the  public  welfare,  and  espe- 
cially has  he  been  active  in  the  cause    of  education. 


ADAM   BAKER   CARLOCK, 

Son  of  George  M.  and  Margaret  E.  (Rohr)  Carlock, 
was  born  in  Dark  county,  Ohio,  February  8,  1833. 
When  eight  years  of  age  he  moved  with  his  parents 
to  Adams  county,  Illinois,  near  the  city  of  Quincy, 
and  in  1845  to  Van  Buren  county,  Iowa,  near  Farm- 
ington.  For  some  time  he  was  possessed  of  a 
desire  to  come  to  California,  and  when  nineteen 
years  of  age  his  father  gave  him  his  time,  and  the 
young  man  started  across  the  plains  full  of  hope 
and  energy,  with  James  Denny  and  Charles  Cook  and 
wife,  arriving  in  Shasta  in  August,  1852.  After  paying 
for  his  supper  and  breakfast,  he  had  just  seventy- 
five  cents  left,  and  gladly  availed  himself  of  a  job  to 
cut  cordwood,  paying  his  last  cent  for  an  axe  handle, 
the  man  for  whom  he  was  to  work  going  security  for 
the  axe.  A  few  days  later  he  joined  a  company  to 
work  on  the  Trinity  river,  and  started  over  the 
mountain,  all  his  worldly  goods  strapped  upon  his 
back  in  a  blanket.  He  worked  diligently  for  three 
months,  when  he  took  what  money  he  had  saved, 
went  to  Sacramento  with  a  man  named  Wilkinson, 
and  bought  four  mules,  which  they  loaded  and 
began  a  packing  business  to  Weaverville.  Wilkinson 
soon  sold  out,  and  Mr.  Carlock  formed  a  partnership 
with  Solomon  and  Daniel  Kingery.  In  the  fall  of 
1854  the  train  was  divided,  and  Mr.  Carlock  con- 
tinued packing  alone  till  the  spring  of  1856,  when 
he  located  in  Deadwood,  in  this  county,  then  a 
flourishing  camp,  and  opened  a  store  with  John 
Williams.  His  partner  soon  died,  and  Mr.  Carlock 
remained  alone  till  1860,  when  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  S.  E.  Stone,  and  built  the  store  in  Fort 
Jones  in  which  his  office  now  is.  A  j7ear  later  he 
bought  Mr.  Stone's  interest,  and  has  been  alone  in 
business  ever  since.  In  the  winter  of  1862-63  he 
was  appointed  postmaster  by  President  Lincoln,  and 
retained  the  office  seven  years.  He  made  application 
for  a  telegraph  office  to  be  located  there  in  1864, 
boarded  the  operator  one  month  while  learning  to 
receive  and  transmit  messages,  and  then  took  charge 
of  the  office  for  the  next  five  years.  In  1879  the 
telegraph  office  was  again  moved  to  his  place  of 
business,  and  in  1880  the  post-office  also,  H.  M. 
Carlock  being  postmaster.  Wells.  Fargo  &  Co. 
established  an  express  office  at  Fort  Jones  in 
the  fall  of  1865,  and  Mr.  Carlock  has  been  their 
agent  continuously.  Having  commenced  a  small 
banking  business  in  1867,  which  kept  increasing 
yearly,  and  his  health  being  affected  by  too  much 
work,  he  sold  his  merchandising  business  to  H.  M. 
Carlock  and  R.  D.  Stone  in  1876,  and  has  since  con- 
fined his  attention  to  banking,  express,  telegraph 
and  insurance  business.  Although  a  public-spirited 
man  and  identified  with  movements  for  local  improve- 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


ment,  he  held  no  public  office  other  than  serving  the 
town  in  various  capacities,  till  1879,  when  he 
accepted  the  Republican  nomination  for  Senator 
from  the  twenty-eighth  district,  embracing  Trinity, 
Shasta,  Modoc  and  Siskiyou  counties.  No  Repub- 
lican had  been  sent  from  this  district  for  fifteen 
years,  and  Mr.  Oarlock's  election  by  a  small  majority 
was  a  pleasant  surprise  to  himself  and  friends.  He 
sat  in  two  regular  and  one  extra  sessions,  and  was  a 
member  of  several  important  committees,  where,  by 
his  hard  labor  and  sterling  business  principles,  he 
achieved  a  reputation  as  a  sound  and  upright  legis- 
lator. He  was  a  charter  member  of  the  first 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  lodge  in  Fort 
Jones,  and  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Farmers' 
mill.  Mr.  Oarlock  was  married  April  5,  1863,  to 
Miss  Lizzie,  daughter  of  P.  and  Catherine  Markey, 
born  August  2,  1844,  at  New  Bedford,  Mass-  They 
have  been  blessed  with  two  sons  and  two  daughters, 
of  which  only  Nellie  C,  a  bright  little  girl  of  ten 
years,  is  now  spared  to  them.  She  was  born  Novem- 
ber 9,  1871.  Mr.  Carlock  is  still  in  the  prime  and 
vigor  of  manhood,  and  will  in  the  future  make  him- 
self felt  in  the  material  advancement  of  Siskiyou 
county,  as  he  has  in  the  past. 


CHARLES  EDWARD  OWEN. 

Mr.  Owen  was  born  at  Rome,  Oneida  county, 
New  York,  October  7,  1828.  He  was  the  oldest  of 
a  family  of  six  children,  sons  and  daughters  of  Sam- 
uel and  Catharine  (Dickenson)  Owen.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Portland,  Maine,  and  his  mother  of 
New  York  State.  Five  of  his  uncles  were  sea 
captains,  one  of  whom,  Charles,  who  was  in  the 
cotton  trade,  took  our  subject  to  sea  with  him  at 
the  age  of  thirteen,  sailing  down  the  eastern  coast, 
visiting  Charleston,  Savannah,  New  Orleans,  then 
to  Liverpool.  At  times  the  young  voyager  was 
taken  to  the  North  and  Mediterranean  seas.  This 
continued  until  1849,  when  the  wonderful  gold  dis- 
coveries made  in  California  caused  him  to  join  writh 
four  or  five  others  and  start  for  the  Californian 
coast.  From  Panama  they  worked  up  on  the 
steamer  California,  which  was  the  first  trip  the 
boat  had  made.  They  landed  at  the  Golden  Gate 
about  the  first  of  January,  1850.  After  his  arrival 
Mr.  Owen  was  put  in  charge  of  the  bark  Globe  for 
a  few  weeks  at  eight  dollars  per  day,  after  which 
she  was  taken  to  Sacramento,  and  Mr.  Owen  went 
to  Dom  Pedro  Bar,  on  the  Calaveras,  and  from 
thence  to  Mokelumne,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
mining  until  1853.  Having  been  prosperous  in 
mining,  he  returned  to  the  Atlantic  coast,  and  went 
into  the  grocery  and  baking  business  at  the  end  of  a 
year  at  Brunswick,  Maine.  Here  he  remained  until 
1859.  During  his  soj  ourn  East  his  wife  died,  and  be- 
coming dissatisfied  he  returned  to  California.  In  a  few 
months  he  selected  Siskiyou  county,  and  located  on 
McAdams  creek,  about  where  the  Steamboat  mine 
now  is.  He  owned  a  farm  there  which  he  afterwards 
sold  on  account  of  having  more  business  than  he 
could  attend  to,  being  engaged  also  in  mining  and 
stock-raising  on  Bogus  creek.  Mr.  Owen  now-  has 
a  patent  to   about  one  mile  on  Indian  creek,  on 


which  he  is  opening  a  bed  rock  tunnel,  paying  by 
contract  to  Chinamen  $4,300  for  work,  Owen  fur- 
nishing all  supplies.  When  completed  this  will  be 
one  of  the  most  valuable  mining  properties  in  Sis- 
kiyou county.  In  connection  with  this,  Mr.  Owen 
is  operating  a  steam  saw-mill  in  Hamblin  gulch, 
which  turns  out  more  than  four  thousand  feet  of 
lumber  per  day,  finding  a  ready  market  in  the 
valley.  He  established  the  first  saw-mill  on  Indian 
creek,  and  three  years  after  he  removed  near  to 
Lone  Star  ranch  at  Fort  Jones,  then  a  favorite 
place  of  resort.  Mr.  Owen  was  married  October  18, 
1848,  to  Emma  Elizabeth  Dennison,  daughter  of 
Gideon  and  Amy  Dennison,  of  Freeport,  Maine.  By 
this  union  Mr.  Owen  has  one  son,  Edward  Carrol, 
born  at  Brunswick,  Maine,  May  6,  1854,  who  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Maine,  and  spent 
his  boyhood  days  there,  while  his  father  was  in 
California.  He  came  here  October  9,  1874,  and  is 
now  interested  with  his  father  in  mining  and  milling. 
Charles  E.  Owen  is  a  member  of  United  Lodge, 
No.  8,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of  Brunswick, 
Maine;  of  Montgomery  Chapter, Royal  Arch  Masons, 
of  Brunswick;  of  Portland  Commandery,  Knights 
Templar,  and  also  of  Fort  Jones  Lodge,  No.  115, 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  which  he  is 
a  trustee  now.  He  was  one  of  the  first  initiated  into 
the  Pejepscot  Lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  at  Brunswick,  Maine.  The  son  is  also. 
a  member  of  a  lodge  and  encampment.  In  addition 
to  his  mining  and  milling  property,  Mr.  Owen  has 
lots  and  residence  in  Fort  Jones.  Careful  industry, 
persistent  efforts,  and  conscientious  dealing  have  won 
him  a  suitable  reward  for  his  labor,  both  in  wealth 
and  public  regard. 


JAMES  CAMP. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  youngest  of  a 
family  of  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters, and  was  born  in  the  Province  of  New  Bruns- 
wick, now  the  Dominion  of  Canada.  When  he 
reached  the  age  of  nineteen  he  moved  with  his  rela- 
tives to  Virginia,  and  resided  in  the  vicinity  of 
Alexandria  until  1854.  He  then  emigrated  to  Cal- 
ifornia, and  became  a  resident  of  Del  Norte  county. 
In  company  with  his  brother  Hill  and  W.  S.  Titus, 
he  established  a  business  under  the  name  of  James 
Camp  &  Company.  They  entered  quite  extensively 
into  mining  and  trading  at  Bunker  Hill,  an  old 
mining  camp  on  the  Klamath  river.  When  this 
camp  shared  the  fate  of  the  great  majority  of  min- 
ing centers,  the  company  moved  to  Happy  Camp, 
where  they  are  now  extensively  engaged  in  merchan- 
dising and  mining.  In  order  to  supply  the  large 
and  growing  demand  for  flour  on  Scott  and  Klamath 
rivers,  they  purchased,  in  1877,  the  old  Lafayette 
or  Shores  mill,  in  Quartz  valley,  from  Ed.  Bean  and 
N.  D.  Julien.  This  they  thoroughly  repaired  and 
erected  a  residence  and  barns,  cleared  and  fenced  the 
land  surrounding  the  mill,  and  commenced  the  active 
manufacture  of  flour.  This  property  is  under  the 
personal  superintendence  of  Mr.  Camp,  who  is  an 
energetic  and  careful  business  man.  Flour  from  this 
mill  is  packed  on  mules  along  Scott  river  and  down 
the  Klamath  to  the  store  at  Happy  Camp. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


69 


be  disorganized  and  annexed  to  Siskiyou,  Trinity, 
Humboldt  and  Del  Norte  counties.  After  consider- 
able discussion,  this  resulted  in  the  introduction  of 
a  bill  by  Assemblyman  Tulley,  for  annexation 
to  the  counties  of  Siskiyou  and  Humboldt.  A 
remonstrance  was  presented  by  some  of  the  citizens 
of  Klamath  county,  who  preferred  to  be  united  to 
Trinity  or  Del  Norte,  the  county  seats  of  the  others 
being  almost  inaccessible  to  their  locality  in  winter. 
The  bill  was  referred  to  the  Klamath  delegation. 

Humboldt  county  seemed  to  look  with  favor  upon 
the  scheme,  while  in  Siskiyou  there  was  a  great 
diversity  of  opinion.  Political  feeling  entered  into 
the  matter  as  well  as  local  interests.  It  was 
claimed  by  the  Republicans  that  it  was  a  Democratic 
scheme  to  retain  control  of  the  county,  as  the  sec- 
tion proposed  to  be  received  had  a  large  Democratic 
majority,  which  would  atone  to  that  party  for  the 
votes  lo.st  by  the  segregation  of  Modoc.  Again,  the 
scheme  was  bitterly  opposed  in  Yreka  for  local  rea- 
sons. It  was  feared  that  the  annexation  of  this 
section  would  make  the  western  end  of  the  county 
so  strong,  that  the  next  move  would  be  to  take  the 
county  seat  away  from  Yreka  and  locate  it  in  Scott 
valley.  Although  any  intention  of  this  kind  was 
disclaimed  by  the  people  of  that  valley,  sti.l  they 
were  arrayed  on  one  side  of  the  question,  and  the 
people  of  Yreka  and  Shasta  valley  on  the  other. 
Petitions  for  and  against  the  proposed  action  were 
sent  by  both  factions  to  the  Legislature,  and  the  dis- 
cussion was  warmly  maintained,  both  in  the  news- 
papers and  on  the  street.  It  was  argued  with  a 
great  deal  of  force  by  the  opponents  cf  the  measure, 
that  the  proposed  territory  was  separated  from  the 
county  by  the  Salmon  mountains,  to  cross  which,  in 
winter,  was  almost,  and  sometimes  entirely,  impossi- 
ble, save  upon  snow  shoes,  thus  leaving  it  and  its 
inhabitants  completely  isolated  fiom  the  main  part 
of  th 'county  a  portion  of  the  year;  that  the  collec- 
tion of  taxes,  the  administration  of  countv  affairs  and 
the  conduct  of  legal  business  of  that  section,  would 
be  difficult,  expensive  and  annoying;  and,  finally, 
that  the  county  would  have  to  assume  a  debt  of  ten 
or  twelve  thousand  dollars,  which  the  value  of  the 
acquired  assessable  property  was  not  sufficient  to 
justify. 

However  well  founded  these  objections  seemed  to 
be.  they  did  not  prevent  the  passage  of  the  bill, 
although  it  was  so  amended  as  to  have  it  take 
eff  ct  only  upon  a  favorable  vote  of  the  people  of 
this  countv. 

The  Act  of  March  28,  1874,  provided  for  an  elec- 
tion to  be  held  in  Siskiyou  comity,  upon  the  ques- 
tion of  receiving  a  portion  of  the  territory  of 
Klamath,  and  if  the  result  was  favorable  to  the 
measure,  the  Act  was  to  take  effect,  and  not  other- 
wise.    The  division  was  as  follows: — 

Commencing  at  the  point  where  the  present  boundary  of 
Klamath  and  Del  Norte  crosses  the  Klamath  river;  thence  run- 
ning easterly  in  a  direct  line  to  where  the  Salmon  river  enters 
the  Klamath  river;  thence  in  a  southerly  direction,  following 
the  ridge  of  the  mountain  that  divides  the  waters  of  the  Salm  u 
and  its  tributaries  from  the  waters  of  Klamath  and  Trinity 
rivers  and  their  tributaries,  to  the  northern  boundary  line  of 
Trinity  county. 

All  of  Klamath  county  north  and  east  of  this  line 
was  to  become  a  portion  of  Siskiyou  county,  and  all 
iouth  and  west  a  portion  of  Humboldt.     Causes  in 


the  courts  were  to  be  transferred  to  the  proper  tri- 
bunals in  the  two  counties,  and  two  commissioners 
each  were  to  be  appointed  by  Humboldt  and  Siski- 
you, to  apportion  the  debt  and  cash  on  hand  in  pro- 
portion to  the  valuation  of  property  in  each  section. 
County  property  was  to  be  sold  and  the  money  paid 
into  the  treasury. 

As  the  day  set  for  the  election  approached  the  dis- 
cussion grew  warmer,  the  question  narrowing  down 
to  a  trial  of  strength  between  the  eastern  and  west- 
ern portions  of  the  county,  as  the  following  vote 
clearly  indicates: — 

ELECTION  HELD  MAY  30,  1874. ON  QUESTION  OF  ANNEX- 
ATION OF  A  PORTION  OF  KLAMATH  COUNTY. 

FOR  AGAINST 

Fort  Jones   104 10 

Oro  Fino 63 1 

Rough  and  Ready  (Etna)  .129 0 

Callahan's 50 3 

McAdams'  Creek 28 2 

Buckeye  Bar 22 16 

Scott  River 36 34 

Cottonwood 16 13 

Humbug 13 15 

Butteviile 3 62 

Table  Rock 10 39 

Boq'us 1 8 

Willow  Creek 2 11 

Yrtka 52 278 

Total 529 492 

Majority 37 

It  can  be  readily  seen,  that,  had  Yreka  been  as 
unanimous  against  the  proposition  as  Etna  was 
in  favor  of  it,  the  majority  would  have  been  on  the 
other  side  anil  the  measure  defeated. 

Dissatisfied  citizens  of  Klamath  county  took  legal 
steps  to  contest  the  Act.  An  injunction  was  issued 
by  the  county  judge,  J.  T.  Cary,  in  June,  restrain- 
ing the  bo  irds  of  supervisors  of  the  three  interested 
counties  from  taking  any  action  in  the  matter  until 
the  constitutionality  of  the  Act  could  be  tested  in 
the  Supreme  Court.  This  did  not  prevent  the 
appointment  of  the  commissioners,  and  on  the 
twenty-fourth  of  August,  .  Hon.  E.  Steele  and  A. 
Swain,  on  the  part  of  Siskiyou  county,  met  John 
A.  Watson  and  John  Keleher,  commissioners  of 
Humboldt  county,  at  Orleans  Bar,  to  carry  out  the 
provisions  of  the  Act.  They  found  that  in  obedi- 
ence to  the  injunction  the  supervisors  and  officers  of 
Klamath  county  had  taken  no  steps  towards  set- 
tling the  affairs  of  the  county.  They  were  refused 
access  to  the  books  by  P.  W.  Wasmuth,  the  treas- 
urer, and  were  unable  to  accomplish  the  task  that 
had  been  assigned  them.  Under  these  circum- 
stances they  adjourned  and  reported  the  situation  to 
their  respective  boards.  Nothing  further  was  done 
until  the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  was  ren- 
dered. 

The  ground  upon  which  the  law  was  contested 
was,  that  it  was  a  delegation  of  legislative  power  to 
the  people,  as  it  made  the  disorganization  of  Klam- 
ath county,  and  the  taking  effectof  the  law,  depend- 
ent upon  a  vote  of  the  people  of  Siskiyou.  In  March, 
1875,  a  decision  was  rendered,  fully  sustaining  the 
legality  of  the  Act,  deciding  that  it  was  not  a  dele- 


70 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


gation  of  authority,  but  the  making  of  the  Act  to 
take  effect  upon  the  happening  of  a  contingent  event, 
namely,  the  affirmative  vote  of  Siskiyou  county  to 
receive  a  portion  of  the  territory  and  assume  a  por- 
tion of  the  debt. 

It  now  remained  to  carry  the  law  into  effect. 
After  considerable  correspondence  and  a  failure  to 
meet,  Commissioners  Steele  and  Swain  resigned,  and 
H.  B.  Warren  and  W.  T.  Laird  were  appointed.  A 
meeting  was  arranged  for  October,  but  the  Siskiyou 
commissioners  failed  to  be  present,  and  the  matter 
still  remained  unsettled.  The  next  winter  a  bill  was 
introduced  into  the  Legislature  by  Assemblyman 
Clark,  of  Humboldt,  to  settle  the  difficulty.  It 
authorized  the  Humboldt  county  supervisors  to  set- 
tle the  affairs  of  Klamath  county,  and  apportion  the 
debt ;  made  it  obligatory  upon  Siskiyou  to  assume 
the  portion  thus  assigned  to  it  ;  provided  for  a  tax 
in  both  counties  to  pay  the  Klamath  county  bonds  ; 
provided  for  the  transfer  of  causes  in  the  courts  to 
the  courts  of  Humboldt  county  ;  and  donated  the 
county  real  estate  to  the  Orleans  Bar  school  district. 
Assemblyman  Harris,  of  Siskiyou,  submitted  a  sub- 
stitute, which  differed  from  the  original  bill  by 
placing  the  settlement  and  apportionment  in  the 
hands  of  four  commissioners,  two  from  each  county, 
and  providing  for  the  sale  of  the  county  real  estate 
at  auction.  The  Act  was  passed  as  thus  amended, 
and  became  a  law  March  31,  1876. 

The  supervisors  of  this  county  appointed  John 
Daggett  and  John  V.  Brown  May  22,  1876,  to 
serve  as  commissioners  under  the  amended  Act, 
which  called  for  a  meeting  June  5,  at  Orleans  Bar. 
The  commissioners  of  Humboldt  county,  W.  J. 
McNamara  and  W.  P.  Hanna,  were  there  at  the 
appointed  time,  but  Daggett  and  Brown  failed  to 
appear,  the  expenses  of  the  meeting,  according  to  a 
provision  in  the  law,  falling  upon  Siskiyou  county, 
through  whose  laches  it  had  been  rendered  futile. 
After  this  failure,  new  commissioners  were  appointed 
by  both  counties,  James  Beith,  Jr.,  and  Hudson  B. 
Gillis  on  the  part  of  Siskiyou  and  Thomas  Cutler 
and  William  P.  Hanna  for  Humboldt.  They  met 
in  Orleans  B.ir  August  14,  1876,  examined  the  books, 
settled  up  the  county  affairs,  and  made  the  following 
appor  tionment : — 

VALUATION. 

Portion  in  Siskiyou $328,018 

"       "   Humboldt 273,51 1 

$601,529 

OUTSTANDING    DEBT. 

To  Siskiyou $13,063  27 

"  Humboldt 10,892  59 

$23955  86 

CASH   ON   HAND. 

Apportioned  to  Siskiyou $2,414  81 

Humboldt 2,013  54 


$4,428  35 
The  report  of  the  commissioners  was  accepted  by 
both  counties,  and  Klamath  county  became  a  thing 
of  the  past.  The  sale  of  public  property  reduced  the 
indebtedness  assumed  by  this  county  to  $5,133  26. 
No  bonds  were  issued,  but  the  assumed  warrants 
were  registered  and  have  been  gradually  paid  by  an 


annual  tax  levied  for  that  purpose,  until  only  $867.55 
remain  unpaid. 

The  boundary  between  Scott  River  and  Mountain 
townships  was  slightly  altered,  on  the  first  of  March, 
1875,  in  accordance  with  a  petition  of  citizens 
residing  near  the  line. 

The  election  on  the  question  of  receiving  a  portion 
of  the  territory  of  Klamath  county  having  resulted 
favorably  to  that  proposition,  the  board  of  super- 
visors, on  the  fifth  of  April,  1875, created  thetownships 
of  Liberty  and  South  Fork,  to  embrace  exactly  the 
same  territory  they  did  when  a  portion  of  Klamath 
county,  neither  the  name  nor  the  boundaries  being 
changed.  The  balance  of  the  acquired  territory  was 
disposed  of  November  1,  1875,  by  creating  Salmon 
township,  with  the  following  limits: — 

Embracing  all  that  territory  formerly  known  as  Salmon 
township  in  the  old  county  of  Klamath,  commencing  at  the 
mouth  of  Salmon  river,  an. I  running  up  the  said  river  to  the 
forks;  and  thence  up  the  south  fork  of  Salm  >n  river  to  themiuth 
of  Know  Nothing  creek;  and  thence  up  the  north  fork  of  Salmon 
river  five  miles,  to  the  line  of  Liberty  township. 

The  last  change  in  township  boundaries  was  made 
February  8,  1876,  by  taking  from  Cottonwood  and 
adding  to  Humbug  township  a  section  described  as 
follows: — 

Commencing  at  the  precipice  on  the  north  side  of  KHmath 
rivef,  opposibe  the  mouth  of  Humbug  creek;  ru  ining  up  the 
mountain  rid^e,  in  a  no  therly  direction,  until  it  strikes  the 
top  of  tine  divide  between  Cottonwood  creek  and  KUm  ith  river; 
from  thence  westerly,  along  the  summit  of  said  dividing  ridge, 
Hungry  and  Biaver  creeks  on  one  side  and  Cottonwood  creek  on 
the  other  side;  thence  running  southerly,  along  the  summit  of 
the  Biiver  creek  divide,  u  itil  it  meets  the  line  of  Mountain 
townsh  p;  thence  follow  sai  1  li  le  djwn  to  Klamath  river,  and 
thence  east  to  tne  starting  point. 

The  foregoing  embraces  all  the  actions  ever  taken 
by  the  board  of  supervisors  in  regard  to  the  town- 
ships. It  is  almost,  if  not  quite,  impossible  to  define 
the  bDundaries  of  any  of  the  townships  as  they  exist 
at  the  present  time,  so  Lttle  effort  was  made  to  keep 
them  clear  cut  and  definite.  It  is  generally  under- 
stood in  what  township  any  given  locality  lies,  but 
to  define  the  limits  or  trace  them  on  a  map  from 
the  official  records  is  a  matter  of  great  difficulty,  if, 
indeed,  it  can  be  done  at  all.  There  are  now  eleven 
townships,  in  some  of  which  there  is  a  full  comple- 
ment of  officers,  in  some  but  a  portion,  and  in  others 
no  officers  whatever.     They  are  as  follows: — ■ 

COTTONWOOD   TOWNSHIP. 

No  officers. 

HUMBUG   TOWNSHIP. 

No  officers. 

LIBERTY   TOWNSHIP. 

Justices — S.  R.  Sheffield  and  John  S.  Hughes. 
Constable — B.  W.  Jencks. 

MOUNTAIN    TOWNSHIP. 

No  officers. 

SALMON    TOWNSHIP. 

No  officers. 

SCOTT   RIVER   TOWNSHIP. 

Justice — Searles  Tompkins. 
Constable — J.  H.  Lindsay. 

SCOTT   VALLEY    TOWNSHIP. 

Justices — Louis  Holler  and  Robert  S.  Green. 
Constable — John  W.  Wheeler. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


71 


Justices — 
livan. 

Constable 


SOUTH    TOWNSHIP. 

George  W.  Mitchell  and  Horace  W.  Sul- 
— Nathan  C.  Evans. 

SOUTH    FORK   TOWNSHIP. 

No  officers. 

TABLE   ROCK   TOWNSHIP. 

No  officers. 

YREKA   TOWNSHIP. 

Justice — E.  V.  Brown. 

Constables — Otto  Sippell  and  John  G.  Hallick. 

Alphabetically  arranged  the  townships,  into  which 
Siskiyou  county  has  been  at  various  times  subdi- 
vided, are  as  follows: — 

BlG  Valiey — Created  November  3,  1869  ;  setoff 
to  Modoc  county  in  1874. 

Butte — Changed  from  Shasta  Valley  in  1SG0  ; 
annexed  to  Yreka  March  15,  1870. 

Cottonwood — Created  December  7,  1852;  still 
exists. 

Hot  Spring — Created   November   6,     1871  ;  set 
off  to  Modoc  county  in  1874. 
.  Humbug — Created  June  7,  1852;  still  exists. 

Klamath — Created  August  14,  1856;  became 
Mountain  July  15,  1871. 

Liberty — Created  April  5,  1875  ;  still  exists. 

Mountain— Created  July  15,  1871  ;  still  exists. 

Salmon — Created  November  1,  1875;  still  exists. 

Scott  River — Existed  when  county  was  organ- 
ized and  still  exists. 

•  Scott  Valley — Created  February  27, 1855  ;  still 
exists. 

Shasta  Valley — Created  August  7,  1855  ;  be- 
came Butte  in  1860. 

SOUTH — Created  August  7,  1855  ;  still  exists. 

South  Fork — Created  April  5, 1875  ;  still  exists. 

Surprise  Valley — Created  .November  21,  1864  ; 
ret  off  to  Modoc  county  in  1874. 

Table  Rock— Created  August  12,  1S62  ;  still 
exists. 

Yreka — Existed  as  Shasta  Plains,  or  Shasta 
Butte  City,  when  county  was  organized ;  changed 
to  Yreka  June  7,  1852;  still  exists. 

But  little  change  has  been  made  in  the  composi- 
tion of  supervisor  districts  since  they  were  set  off 
in  1857.  Whenever  new  townships  were  created, 
they  remained  in  the  same  district  to  which  they 
had  previously  belonged.  When  Mountain  town- 
ship was  created,  it  was  declared  to  be  in  District 
No.  2,  of  which  Klamath  township  had  previously 
been  a  part,  the  only  change  being  that  the  new 
township  embraced  within  its  limits  a  small  strip 
that  had  formerly  been  in  District  No.  1.  May  8, 
1877,  Scott  River  township  was  detached  from  Dis- 
trict No.  1  and  made  a  portion  of  District  No.  2. 
The  territory  received  from  Klamath  county  became 
a  portion  of  District  No.  1. 

As  at  present  constituted,  the  supervisor  districts 
are  as  follows: — 

District  No.  1. — Scott  Valley,  South,  Salmon, 
South  Foik,  and  Liberty  townships. 

District  No.  2. — Cottonwood,  Humbug,  Mountain, 
and  Scott  River  townships. 

District  No.  3. — Yreka  and  Table  Rock  town- 
ships. 


CHAPTER     X. 

ELECTIONS  AND  LIST  OF  OFFICERS. 

The  first  election  held  in  the  State,  in  1849,  was 
not  participated  in  by  residents  of  this  region.  At 
that  time  the  State  was  not  organized,  and  election 
precincts  were  established  only  in  those  interior 
towns  and  mining  camps  that  had  sprung  into  recog- 
nized prominence  during  the  few  short  months  that 
had  elapsed  since  had  begun  that  tumultuous  rush 
for  the  gold  fields  of  California.  As  yet  the  ven- 
turesome foot  of  the  prospector  had  not  pressed  the 
grassy  carpet  of  these  northern  altitudes.  Of  those 
who  were  to  become  the  founders  of  the  county  of 
Siskiyou,  some  were  in  the  early  southern  mines, 
some  were  toiling  wearily  westward,  or  tossing  upon 
the  heaving  bosom  of  the  ocean,  eager  to  reach  the 
land  of  gold  and  sunshine,  while  others  were  still  in 
their  eastern  homes,  with  scarce  a  thought  of  that 
far-off  land  so  soon  to  beckon  them  away. 

By  Act  of  March  22, 1852,  the  county  of  Siskiyou 
was  created  and  an  election  called  for  May  3,  1852, 
to  select  the  first  officers.  WTilson  T.  Smith.  H.  G. 
Ferris,  D.  H.  Lowry,  Charles  M.  Tutt  and  Theodore 
F.  Rowe  were  appointed  commissioners  under  the 
Act,  to  supervise  the  election  and  organize  the  county. 
The  following  is  a  transcript  of  the  proceedings  of 
this  board : — 

Yreka  City,  April  19,  1852. 

Agreeable  to  an  Act  to  establish  the  county  of  Siskiyou  and 
establish  the  Seat  of  Justice  therein,  [approved  March  22d,  A.  D. 
185-2],  Wilson  T.  Smith,  Charles  M.  Tutt,  D.  H.  Lowry,  H.  G. 
Ferris  and  Theo.  F.  Kovve,  named  in  said  Act  as  Commissioners 
to  designate  the  Election  Precincts  in  the  county  of  Siskiyou  for 
the  said  election,  met  at  the  house  of  D.  H.  Lowry,  and  Charles 
M.  Tutt,  Esq.,  was  chosenPresident  and  Theo.  F.  Rowe  was  cho- 
sen Secretary. 

On  mi  tion  of  W.  T.  Smith,  adjourned  to  meet  here  at  2  p.  M. 

2  P.  M. — Met  according  to  adjournment.  Present,  Messrs. 
Smith,  Tutt,  Ferris,  Lowry  aud  Kowe.  Voted  that  precincts  be 
established  and  elections  holden  at  the  following  places,  viz. : 

Scott's  Bar — at  Theo.  F.  Rowe  &  Co.'s  store.  John  G.  Berry, 
Inspector. 

South  Fork  Scott's  River — at  Murch  &  Co.'s  store.  Leonard 
Murch,  Inspector. 

Scott's  Valley — at  Lone  Star  Ranch.  James  Johnson,  Inspec- 
tor. 

Klamath  River — Hamburg — at  Sloan's  store.  R.  Barnes,  In- 
spector. 

Hardy's  Bar — Hardy's  house.     Hardy,  Inspector. 

Yreka  City — at  the  Verandah.     Joseph  Barker,   Inspector. 

Humbug  City — at  Tutt's  store.     Ezra  Hall,  Inspector. 

Upper  Humbug — at  Dr.  Barr's  house. 

Beaver  Creek — 

Lower  Humbug — at   Brown's  store.     James  M.  Ela,  Inspector. 

Cottonwood  Creek — 

Brando's  Bar — at  Binicum  &  Hatherway's.    Gilkey,  Inspector. 

And  on  motion  of  Mr.  Ferris  adjourned  to  S  A.  M.-,  April  20th. 

Tuesday  April  20th,  met  according  to  adjournment.  Present 
Messrs.  Smith,  Tutt,  Ferris,  Lowry  and  Rowe.  Making  out 
election  papers  for  the  several  precincts.  5  p.  M.,  adjourned  to 
meet  at  8  a.  m.,  April  21. 

Wednesday,  April  21st.  Met  according  to  adjournment,  to 
finish  papers.  Having  accomplished  the  papers,  adjourned  to 
meet  at  the  Verandah  on  the  second  Monday  of  May,  at  12  M. 

A  true  copy. 

Attest,  Theo.  F.  Rowe,  Secretary  B.  Commissioners. 

Monday,  May  10,  1S52. 

The  Board  of  Commissioners  appointed  to  superintend  the 
organization  of  Siskiyou  county  met  pursuant  to  adjournment, 
at  the  Verandah  in  Yreka  City.  Present  Tutt,  Lowry,  Ferris 
and  Smith.  On  motion  of  Mr.  Lowry,  H.  G.  Ferris  was  appointed 
Secretary  pro  temporr,  the  regular  Secretary  of  the  Board  being 
absent.    On  motion  the  Board  adjourned  to  2  o'clock  p.  M. 

Met  pursuant  to  adjournment.  Present,  Tutt,  D.  H.  Lowry, 
W.  T.  Smith,  and  Ferris,  Commissioners.  After  session  of  sev- 
eral hours,  during  which  time  the.Board  was  engaged  in  counting 
votes  which  were  cast  at  the  recent  election,  and  examining  the 
election  law  with  reference  to   election  returns,  etc.,  the  Board 


72 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


on  motion  of  W.  T.  Smith,  adjourned  until  to-morrow  morning  at 
10  o'clock  A.  M. 

H.  G.  Fekris,  Sec't  pro  tempore. 

Tuesday,  May  11th,  1S52. 

Met  according  to  adjournment.  Present,  Messrs.  Tutt,  Lowry, 
Smith,  Ferris  and  Eowe.  On  motion  of  Mr.  Ferris,  voted  that 
we  enter  upon  the  tabular  statement,  and  count  the  votes  (of) 
precincts  which  did  not  send  a  copy  of  the  tally  papers  from  the 
certificates  of  the  Board  of  Election;  and  enter  an  order  upon  our 
record  requiring  the  several  Boards  of  Election  from  precincts 
where  the  returns  were  in  some  degree  defective,  requiring  the 
several  Boards  of  Election  to  perfect  their  returns  by  forwarding 
the  certified  (returns)  which  are  wanting  to  complete  the  returns. 
On  motion  of  Theo.  F.  Rowe,  voted  that  H.  D.  Van  Wyck  be 
sent  io  Cottonwood  creek,  and  request  the  Board  to  correct  their 
returns.     Voted  to  adjourn  till  to-morrow  at  8  A.  M. 

A  true  copy.  Theo.  F.  Rowe,  Sec.  B.  C. 

Mat  12th,  1852. 

Met  according  to  adjournment.    Present,  Messrs.  Tutt,  Ferris, 

Lowry  and  Rowe.     After  receiving  the  corrected  returns  from 

Cottonwood   creek,   whereby   the  tabular  returns  of  the  county 

were   made   complete,    the   President,    Charles  M.   Tutt,    Esq., 


declared: — William  A.  Robertson,  Esq.,  elected  as  County  Judge; 
Hiram  O.  Ferris,  Esq.,  as  County  Clerk;  J.  D.  Cook,  Esq.,  elected 
as  District  Attorney  ;  Charles  MoDermitt,  Esq.,  elected  as 
Sheriff;  James  T.  Lowry,  Eiq.,  elected  as  County  Surveyor; 
W.  D.  Aylett,  Esq.,  elected  as  County  Treasurer;  Richard  Dugan, 
Esq.,  elected  as  Assessor;  Roger  B.  Ironside,  M.  D.,  Esquire, 
elected  as  Coroner. 

The  President  then  swore  into  office  the  several  officers  before 
designated. 

5  P.  M. — Having  completed  to  the  best  of  our  abilities  the  bus- 
iness intrusted  to  our  care,  on  motion,  voted  that  we  now 
adjourn. 

Chas.  M.  Tcttt,  \  Theo.  F.  Rowe. 

President  Board  Commissioners.      /  Sec'y,  B.  C. 

Attest-  Theo.  F.  Rowe,  Sec'y,  B.  C. 

The  tabular  statement  prepared  by  the  board  is 
given  below,  showing  the  vote  cast  for  each  candi- 
date  at  each  precinct,  and  will  be  interesting  to 
examine.  It  indicates  where  and  to  what  extent 
the  county  was  populated  at  the  time  it  was  organ- 
ized into  a  separate  political  body. 


County  Judge. 

Co.  Atty 

County  Cle 

rk. 

Sheriff. 

Survyr 

Assessor. 

Treas'er. 

Coroner. 

E.e(  tion  htlil  in  Siskiyo1 

3= 

.— 

«i 

— 

i- 

s 

HI 

<- 

tj 

W 

T 

1 

O 

0 

B 

O 

u 

^ 

r 

- 

A 

O 

CG 

t< 

Si 

Q 

W 

> 

fH 

County,  Ca1.,  for  County 
Offices,  May  3,1852.  Pre- 

> 

H 

\A 

P 

BS 

t) 

> 

O 

> 

O 

t"1 

3 

F 

^ 

p 

3 

B 

3 

> 

r3 

r- 

0 

O 

re 

3 

a 

to 

0 

fi 

pared    by  the   Board    o! 
Commissi  (inerp  from  Roll 

73 

o 

- 

K 
o 

o 
o1 

o 
o 

& 

"9 
n 

H 

3 

i 

c£ 

n 

n 

B 

t-1 

B 

•3 

0 

-' 

3 

0 
0 

jj? 

> 

6 

d 
3 

> 

3 

Books  returned  to  them. 

Q 

O 

3" 

'-< 

a 

ST 

z 
3 

a* 
1 
0 
0 

1 

0 

ro 

p. 

a 
v. 

= 

; 

33 

3 

5 

S 

c 
re 

-■ 

Names  of  Pr^einets. 

162 

148 

■206 

55 

5 

233  . . . 

133 

150 

122 

85 

73 

2 

192 

222 

6S 

66 

21 

236 

265 

13 

8 

239 

224 

911 

123 

113 

18 

IS 

22 

3 

ll|... 

22 

8 

6 

4 

29 

3 

5 

ft 

3'l 

19 

1 

4 

10 

31 

2: 

K 

25 
47 
39 

34 
13 
24 

10 
29 
1 

11 
22 

8 

1 
22 
21 

17 
20 

41 

22 
27 
17 

4 
12 
21 

8 
46 
13 

29 
27 
2 

i 

36 

83 
49 

8 
21 

4 

4 
3 

28 
13 
14 

9 
11 
25 

50 
58 
56 

i 

45 
61 
44 

25 
25 

25 

6 

33 
43 
54 

3H 
69 

15 

5. 
3 
22 

8 
25 
41 

6 
11 

5" 
52 

29 

V.' 

7 
4 

28 
?,i 

7 

4 

16 

37 

7 
21 

2 
5 

17 

7 

32 
1 

4 
17 

38 

35 

14 

15 

7 
2 

3 

9 

2 

13 

12 

3? 

24 
53 

9 

1 

11 
14 

24 
33 

4 

8 

18 
3 

7 

South  Fork  of  Scott  River. 

Scott's  Bar 

9 

44 

9 

10 

32 

1 

41 

14 

8 

10 

44 

12 

14 

1 

2 

4'i 

4 

51 

16 

5 

-19 

30 

11 
35 

18 
312 

9 
319 

1 
117 

■.'. 

17 

501 

1 

17 
319 

2 
231 

6 
211 

11 
210 

171 

2 

1 

24 
530 

13 

312 

103 

132 

70 

33 
534 

39 

14 
529 

20 
314 

114 

7 

432 

1 

489 

2:- 

2  r 

11 
294 

131 

18 

I  do  hereby  certify  that  the  within  tabular  statement  of  a 
county  election  held  in  the  county  of  Siskiyou  and  State  of  Cal- 
ifornia on  the  3d  day  of  May,  A.  D.  1852,  is  a  true  statement  of 
the  election  returns  from  the  several  precincts  of  the  county,  the 
number  of  votes  each  man  got  at  eaih  precinct,  and  the  total 
number  of  votes  each  man  got  in  the  county,  as  appears  by  the 
several  election  returns  received  by  this  Board  of  Commissioners. 

Yreka  City,  May  12th,  1852. 

Chas.  M.  Tutt, 

President  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  for  organizing  the 
county  of  Siskiyou. 

Attest:  Theo.  F.  Rowe,  Sec'y. 

In  accordance  with  the  above  statement  the  follow- 
ing officers  received  certificates  of  election  from  the 
board  of  commissioners,  qualified  according  to  law, 
and  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  their  respective 
duties : — 

County  Judge — *William  A.  Robertson. 
Sheriff— Charles  McDermitt. 
County  Clerk— H.  G.  Ferris. 
District  Attorney — -f  John  D.  Cook. 
Treasurer— +M.  D.  Aylett. 
Surveyor — James  T.  Lowry. 
Coroner — R.  B.  Ironside. 
Assessor — §Riehard  Dugan, 
Public  Administrator— j|D.  H.  Lowry. 
County  warrants  for  six  dollars  each  were  issued 
to  the  following  gentlemen  who  served  as  officers  of 


Resigned  April,  1853.     R.  L.  Westbrook  appointed  in  May. 

tResigned  December  6,  1852.  John  D.  Cosby,  J.  Berry  and 
R.   B.    Snelhng  serving  by  appointment,  during  the  next  year. 

+  ResiLmed  December  7,  1S52.     J.  Berry  appointed. 

§Elected  to  Assembly  in  1853.  John  Lentell  appointed  Nov.  24. 

II Appointed  July  28,  1852,  by  W.  S.  Sherwood,  judge  of  the 
9th  district.  >   J      s 


*  Snould  be  AyljM. 

the  election:  Joseph  Barker,  W.  O.  Clarkson,  James 
Strawbridge,  R.  Herreford,  W.  S.  Mendenhall,  James 
M.  Ela,  John  J.  Ross,  James  Winn,  A.  C.  Raymond, 
Joseph  Tyson,  C.  J.  Sewell,  J.  C.  Collingham,  E.  A. 
Hall,  T.  S.  Harris,  C.  M.  Tutt,  G.  C.  Merritt,  L.  S. 
Skiff,  John  S.  Berry,  P.  Whiting.  James  B.  Smith, 
C.  C.  Beekman,  B.  F.  Varney,  P.  Strceter,  Isaac 
Barnes,  Samuel  Hicks,  William  A.  Patterson,  John 
McGowan.  John  E.  Dutch er,  James  K.  Johnson, 
John  McKee,  P.  S.  Pfouts,  O.  Wheelock,  O.  J.  Das- 
comb,  Jonathan  Sampson,  Edward  S.  Mowry,  R.  S. 
Barr,  G.  S.  Jeffries,  William  H.  Hawkins,  William 
Dain,  John  Lentell,  George  W.  Tyler,  John  Scar- 
borough, J.  S.  Clark,  Simeon  E.  Hubbs,  John  Flem- 
ing, Alexander  Coil,  J.  G.  Berry,  James  O'Conner, 
J.  Berry,  James  Allison,  John  D.  Walker,  John  G. 
Bernard,  W.  J.  Bowen,  F.  G.  Gardner,  Samuel  C. 
Smith,  and  G.  S.  Ramsey. 

The  election  and  the  organization  of  the  county 
cost  $1,178.15,  for  which  county  warrants  were 
issued  at  the  meeting  of  the  Court  of  Sessions,  June 
10,  1852,  presided  over  by  W.  A.  Robertson,  the 
newly  elected  county  judge.  The  courts  were 
duly  organized  as  appears  in  the  chapter  devoted  to 
that  subject,  and  the  machinery  of  the  county  gov- 
ernment was  set  in  motion,  moving  harmoniously 
through  all  the  statutory  changes  and  political  vicis- 
situdes to  the  present  day. 

The  following  tables  have  been  prepared  from 
official  sources,  to  show  who  have  served  the  county 
in  an  official  capacity  and  the  comparative  strength 
of  the  vote  cast  for  each  successful  candidate,  where- 


ANTONIO  SOARES  DE  OLIVE1RA. 


ANTONIO  SOARES  DE  OLIVEIRA. 
He  was  born  August  29,  1849,  at  Rebeirinha, 
Island  of  Pico,  Azores.  His  father  was  absent  in 
Rio  de  Janeiro,  and  he  lived  with  his  mother  and 
attended  school  between  the  ages  of  three  and  eight 
years.  He  lived  with  his  mother  and  grandfather 
till  nearly  eighteen  years  old.  June  10,  1866,  he 
took  ship  to  America  on  the  brig  Avarista,  with 
eighty-five  passengers.  A  voyage  of  thirty-three 
days  landed  them  in  Boston.  He  then  came  to 
California  via  Panama,  the  trip  to  San  Francisco 
consuming  twenty-four  days.  He  worked  for  wages 
three  years,  and  then  in  business  for  himself.   When 


twenty-five  years  of  age  he  had  laid  by  $5,000. 
Misfortune  then  overtook  him,  and  he  paid  his  liabil- 
ities at  the  rate  of  seventy-five  cents  on  the  dollar, 
leaving  himself  penniless.  He  started  a  new  busi- 
ness, but  became  sick  and  was  compelled  to  leave. 
He  then  went  back  to  the  States.  October  17, 
1878,  he  returned  to  his  native  land  for  health.  He 
was  in  Portugal  twenty-four  days,  and  then  sailed 
in  the  brig  Bogotha  to  New  Bedford,  with  170  pas- 
sengers, the  voyage  lasting  thirty -nine  days.  He 
then  came  to  California  and  settled  in  Scott  valley, 
where  he  has  been  very  successful.  He  is  by  occu- 
pation a  mechanic. 


UJ 

«c 
o 

UJ 


_J 
< 

n: 

> 


O  en 

2:  o 

_|   V7 

m  y 

Ul 


a: 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


73 


ever  the  records  give  such  information.  Foot-notes 
explaining  all  irregularities  and  changes  are  also 
given.  The  offices  of  county  clerk,  recorder  and 
auditor  have  always  been  combined  in  one  in  this 
county.  Until  1863  the  terms  of  office  were — 
county  officers,  two  years;  county  judge,  four 
years;  district  judge,  six  years;  senator,  two 
years;  assemblyman,  one  year.  In  1803  the  terms 
of  senators  and  assemblymen  were  doubled,  Legis- 
lature meeting  every  second  year  instead  of  annu- 
ally thereafter.  Justices  of  the  peace  and  consta- 
bles will  be  found  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  the 
courts. 

GENERAL    ELECTION,   NOVEMBER   2,   1852. 

Assemblvman,  W.  G.  Proctor,  466  votes,  two  can- 
didates,    total,  900. 

*Judge  Ninth  District,  George  A.  Smith,  225 
votes,  three  candidates,  total  905. 

Public  Administrator,  D.  H.  Lowry,  226  votes, 
two  candidates.     Total,  237. 

GENERAL   ELECTION,    SEPTEMBER   7,    1853. 

I!  Senator  Twelfth  District,  William  B.  May,  801 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  1,418. 

Assemblyman,  W.  D.  Aylett,  924  votes,  three 
candidates.     Total,  1,459. 

County  Judn;e,  fR  L.  Westbrook,  828  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,  1,426. 

District  Attorney,  JO  C.  Abbe,  424  votes,  three 
candidates.     Total,  742. 

County  Clerk,  H.  G.  Ferris,  1,019  votes,  two  can- 
didates.    Total,  1,469. 

Sheriff,  D.  D.  Coiton,  827  votes,  two  candidates. 
Total,  1,457. 

Treasurer,  John  Lentell,  915  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  1,438. 

Assessor,  S.  P.  Fair,  726  votes,  three  candidates. 
Total,  1,432. 

Snrvevor,  E.  M.  Stevens,  723  votes,  two  candi- 
dates,    total,  913. 

Coroner,  S.  M.  Worden,  695  votes,  one  candidate. 
Total,  695. 

Public  Administrator,  D.  H.  Lowry,  946  votes, 
one  candidate.     Total,  946. 

GENERAL    ELECTION,    SEPTEMBER    6,    1854. 

Assemblyman,  Edward  J.  Curtis,  1,179  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,  2,192. 

District  Attorney,  §G.  W.  S.  Cumings,  731  votes, 
three  candidates.     Total,  1,799. 

SPECIAL    ELECTION,    APRIL    9,    1855. 

(First  Board  of  Supervisors.) 
Supervisor  Yreka  District,  Owen  McCoy. 
Supervisor  Scott  River  District,  D.  M.  Davidson. 
Supervisor  Klamath  District,  Charles  D.  Smith. 
First  meeting  of  the  board  held  in  Yreka,  May  7, 
1855. 

*Siskiyou,  Shasta,  Butte  and  Colusa  counties.  Changed  by  Act 
of  May  19,  1853,  to  Eighth  District,  embracing  Klamath,  Hum- 
boldt and  Siskiyou  counties,  of  which  Hon.  J.  Montgomery 
Peters  had  been  chosen  judge  at  the  above  election,  Judge  Smith 
never  holding  court  here. 

IITrinity,  Klamath,  Humboldt  and  Siskiyou  counties. 

+To  fill  vacancy  caused  by  election  of  W.  A.  Robertson, 
district  judge. 

JUesigned  and  office  filled  by  John  D.  Cosby,  Columbus 
Sims  and  George  W.  Tyler. 

§To  fill  vacancy. 
10 


GENERAL   ELECTION,    SEPTEMBER   5,    1855. 

*Senator,  Twelfth  District,  John  D.  Cosby,  1,915 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  3,342. 

Assemblyman,  E.  J.  Curtis,  1,989  votes,  two  can- 
didates.    Total,  3,349. 

County  Judge,  f  A.  M.  Rosborough,  287  votes,  one 
candidate.     Total,  287. 

District  Attorney,  JG.  W.  S.  Cumings,  1,938  votes, 
two  candidates,     total,  3,327. 

County  Clerk  J.  M.  Brown,  1,962  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,  3,388. 

Sheriff,  Samuel  P.  Fair,  1,927  votes,  three  candi- 
dates.    Total,  3,382. 

Treasurer,  William  Morton,  1,848  votes,  two  can- 
didates.    Total,  3,192. 

Assessor,  J.  W.  Thomas,  1,910  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  3,324. 

Surveyor,  E.  M.  Stevens,  2,009  votes,  two  candi- 
dates,    total,  2,098. 

Coroner,  John  Ridgly,  1,964  votes,  one  candidate. 
Total,  1,964. 

Public  Administrator,  Pembroke  Murray,  1,944 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  3,324. 

School  Superintendent,  Benoni  Whitten,  1,852 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  2,956. 

Supervisor  Yreka  District,  T.  A.  Whiting,  651 
votes,  one  candidate.     Total,  651. 

Supervisor  Klamath  District,  Anson  Coffman, 
146  votes,  three  candidates.     Total,  285. 

Supervisor  Scott  River  District,  J.  R.  Pleasants, 
724  votes,  seven  candidates.     Total,  1,277. 

GENERAL   ELECTION,  NOVEMBER  4,  1856. 

Assemblyman,  B.  F.  Varney. 
District  Attorney,  ffEli  H.  Stone. 
Supervisor  Yreka  District,  A.  E.  Schwatka. 
Supervisor  Klamath  District  John  S.  Dudley. 
Supervisor  Scott  River  District,  C.  Gartrell. 

GENERAL    ELECTION,   SEPTEMBER    2,   1857. 

*Senator  Twelfth  District,  J.  Berry. 
Assemblyman,  A.  B.  Walker. 
■fJudge  of  Eighth  District,  William  P.  Dainger- 
field. 

County  Judge,  JR.  L.  Westbrook. 

District  Attorney,  §Eli  H.  Stone. 

County  Clerk,  F.  A.  Rogers. 

Sheriff,  ||Samuel  P.  Fair. 

Treasurer,  E.  K.  Phipps. 

Assessor,  John  S.  Dudley. 

Surveyor,  HJohn  Mellen. 

Coroner,  T.  T.  Cabaniss. 

Public  Administrator,  J  Lytle  Cummins. 

Supervisor  First  District,  **Thomas  Masterson. 

Supervisor  Second  District,  George  C.  Merritt. 

Supervisor  Third  District,  A.  E.  Schwatka. 

*  Trinity,  Klamath,  Humboldt  and  Siskiyou  counties. 

t  See  History  of  the  County  Court  on  another  page. 

5  Resigned  February  4,  1S56.     R.  B.  Snelling  appointed. 


++To  fill  vacancy. 


*  Klamath  and  Siskiyou  counties. 

+  Klamath,  Humboldt,  and  Siskiyou  counties. 

+  Did  not  receive  office,  as  Rosborough 's  term  had  not  expired. 

§  Resigned  April  5,  1859.     F.  E.  Ensign  appointed. 

II  Left  the  county  for  reasons  unknown.  F.  C.  Horsley  ap- 
pointed July  13,  1859. 

IT  Resigned  February  27,  1S5S.     H.  H.  Simpson  appointed. 

**  Resigned  January  14,  1858.  Benjamin  Rorter  elected  Feb- 
ruary 27. 


74 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


GENERAL   ELECTION,   SEPTEMBER  1,  1858. 

Assemblyman,  William  F.  Watkins. 
Surveyor,  *H.  H.  Simpson. 

GENERAL   ELECTION,   SEPTEMBER   7,    1859. 

*Senator  Twelfth  District,  John  P.  Haynes. 

Assemblyman,  Charles  McDermit. 

County  Judge,  A.  M.  Ros'orough. 

District  Attorney,  F.  E.  Ensign. 

County  Clerk,  John  S.  Dudley. 

Sheriff,  fD .'dared  vacant. 

Treasurer,  E.  K.  Phipps. 

Assessor,  A.  Hawkins. 

Surveyor,  S.  S.  Rice. 

Coroner,  Daniel  Ream. 

Public  Administrator,  Robert  Husbands. 

School  Superintendent,  R  S.  McEwan. 

Supervisor  Second  District,  James  McCoy. 

GENERAL     ELECTION,    NOVEMBER    6,    1860. 

Assemblyman,  Francis  Sorrel. 

Sheriff,  *William  Martin. 

Supervisor  Second  District,  -f-John  M.  Heath. 

GENERAL   ELECTION,    SEPTEMBER    4,    1861. 

*Senator  Twenty-eighth  District,  George  Oulton, 
1,234  votes,  four  candidates.     Total.  3,163. 

Assemblyman,  William  Irwin,  1,594  votes,  six  can- 
didates.    Total,  6,297. 

Assemblyman,  C.  F.  Thornbury,  1,268  votes,  six 
candidates'     Total,  6  297. 

District  Attorney,  F.  E.  Ensign,  1,428  votes,  three 
candidates.     Total,  3,175. 

County  Clerk,  F.  A.  Rogers,  1,248  votes,  four  can- 
didates.    Total,  3,154. 

Sheriff,  Daniel  Ream,  1,493  votes,  three  candidates. 
Total,  3,137. 

Treasurer,  G.  W.  Chase,  1,133  votes,  four  candi- 
dates.    Total,  3,0)7. 

Assessor,  T.  O'Rourk,  1,215  votes,  four  candi- 
dates.    Total,  3,143. 

Collector,  M.  Sleeper,  1,111  votes,  four  candi- 
dates.    Total,  3,163. 

Surveyor,  S.  S.  Rice,  2,102  votes,  four  candidates. 
Total,  3,165. 

Coroner,  Charles  F.  Collins,  1,380  votes,  three 
candidates.     Total,  3,152. 

Public  Administrator,  fConstantine  McGinnis, 
1,362  votes,  three  candidates.     Total,  3,092. 

School  Superintendent,  JR.  L.  Westbrook,  1,356 
votes,  three  candidates.      Total,  3,138. 

Supervisor  First  District,  E.  H.  Hall,  596  votes, 
four  candidates.     Total,  1,280. 

*  To  fill  vacancy. 


*Klamath  and  Siskiyou  counties. 

+  William  Grow  received  the  most  votes,  but  election  was  con- 
tested by  F.  C.  Horsley,  on  the  ground  that  Grow  was  postmaster 
at  the  time  of  his  election.  Decided  against  Grow,  and  vacancy 
declared  by  the  Supreme  Court  in  June,  1S60,  under  Article  4, 
Section  21  of  the  conslitution.  Horsley  was  then  appointed 
until  next  election. 


*  To  fill  vacancy. 

+  Died  April  30,  1S02. 


*  Siskiyou  county  alone. 

+  Re  igned  January  S,  1862.     Charles  E.  Burrows  appointed. 

J  Did  nut  qualify,    J,  M.  VYhalley  appointed  November  o,  1S61. 


GENERAL   ELECTION,    SEPTEMBER    3,    1862. 

Assemblyman,  Wdliam  Irwin,  932  votes,  six  can- 
didates.    Total,  3,682. 

Assemblyman,  B.  F.  Varney,  898  votes,  six  candi- 
dates.    Total,  3,682. 

Public  Administrator, *AntonHaserick,  955  votes, 
three  candidates.     Total,  1,839. 

School  Superintendent,  Tnomas  N.  Stone,  885 
votes,  three  candidates.     Total,  1,843. 

Supervisor  Second  District,  -f-S.  H.  Crary,  160 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  259. 

Supervisor  Third  District,  A.  D.  Crooks,  361 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  691. 

GENERAL  ELECTION,  SEPTEMBER  2,  1863. 

||  Senator,  Twenty-eighth  District,  L.  M.  Foulke, 
1.056  votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  2,076. 

Assemblyman,  R.  C.  Scott,  1,065  votes,  four  candi- 
dates.    Total,  4,105. 

Assemblyman,  S.  L.  LittleSeld,  1,031  votes,  four 
candidates.     Total,  4,105. 

District  Attorney,  A.  P.  Van  Duser,  1,075  votes, 
two  candidates.     Total,  2,062. 

County  Clerk,  F.  A.  Rogers,  1106  votes,  two  can- 
didates.    Total  2072. 

Sheriff,  A.  D.  Crooks,  1,084  votes,  two  candidates. 
Total,  2,078. 

Treasurer,  William  Grow,  1,104  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total  2,064. 

Assessor,  D.  C.  Stevens,  1,074  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  2,082. 

Collector,  W.  A.  Hovey,  1,066  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  2,067. 

Surveyor,  Ross  McCloud,  1,077  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  2,059. 

Coroner,  G.  C.  Furber,  1,069  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  2,066. 

Public  Administrator,  B.  A.  Godfrey,  1,068  votes, 
two  candidates.     Total,  2,061. 

School  Superintendent,  Thomas  N.  Stone,  1,081 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  2,072. 

Supervisor  Third  District,  John  Andrews,  412 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  791. 

JUDICIAL  ELECTION,  OCTOBER  21,  1863. 

*Judge  Ninth  District,  E.  Garter,  747  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,  1,519. 

County  Judge,  A.  M.  Rosborough,  778  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,  1,519. 

GENERAL  ELECTION,  NOVEMBER  8,  1864. 

Surveyor,  Henry  Thurber.  912  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  1,801. 

Public  Administrator,  D.  L.  Hollenbeck,  905  votes, 
two  candidates.     Total,  1,803. 

Supervisor  First  District,  John  P.  Wilson,  421 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  832. 

GENERAL  ELECTION,  SEPTEMBER  6,  1865. 

||  Senator,  Twenty-eighth  District,  E.  Wadsworth, 
1,034  votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  2,050. 

*  To  fill  vacancy. 

+  To  fill  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  J.  M.  Heath. 


I  Siskiyou  county  alone. 


"Siskiyou,  Shasta,  and  Trinity  counties. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


to 


Assemblyman,  Thomas  H.  Steele,  1,015  votes,  four 
candidates.     Total,  4,077. 

Assemblyman,  J.  K.  Luttrell,  1,056  votes,  four 
candidates.     Total,  4,077. 

District  Attorney,  L.  M.  Ketcham,  1,032  votes, 
two  candidates.     Total,  2,039. 

County  Clerk,  Robert  S.  Green,  1,053  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,  2,046. 

Sheriff,  A.  D.  Crooks,  1,116  votes,  two  candidates. 
Total,  2,040. 

Treasurer,  A.  E.  Raynes,  1,057  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  2,040. 

Assessor,  S.  Magoffey,  1,020  votes,  two  candidates. 
Total,  2,029. 

Collector,  L.  M.  Foulke,  1,066  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  2,038. 

Surveyor,  Ross  McCloud,  1,026  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  2,034. 

Coroner,  W.  S.  R.  Taylor,  940  votes,  one  candi- 
date.    Total,  940. 

Public  Administrator,  -f-W.  A.  Hovey,  1,039  votes, 
two  candidates.     Total,  2,041. 

School  Superintendent,  Thomas  N.  Stone,  1,083 
.  votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  2,003. 

Supervisor  Second  District,  John  V.  Brown,  135 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  241. 

GENERAL  ELECTION,  SEPTEMBER  5,  1866. 

Supervisor  Third  District,  *John  Andrews,  293 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  474. 

GENERAL    ELECTION,    SEPTEMBER   4,    1867. 

Assemblyman,  Elijah  Steele,  955  votes,  four  can- 
didates.    Total,  3,570. 

Assemblyman,  John  A.  Fairchilds,  981  votes,  four 
candidates.     Total,  3,570. 

District  Attorney,  Edwin  Shearer,  975  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,  1,788. 

County  Clerk,  Austin  Hawkins,  933  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,  1,788. 

Sheriff,  John  Andrews,  934  votes,  two  candidates. 
Total,  1,789. 

Treasurer,  R.  O.  DeWitt,  954  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  1,792. 

Assessor,  O.  P.  Welker,  921  votes,  two  candidates. 
Total,  1,777. 

Collector,  Daniel  Ream,  1,019  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  1,779. 

Surveyor,  \V.  B.  Swearinger,  905  votes,  two  can- 
didates.    Total,  1,745. 

Coroner,  jA.  M.  C.  Smith,  952  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  1,789. 

Public  Administrator,  S.  E.  Stone,  955  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,  1,791. 

School  Superintendent,  Grove  K.  Godfrey,  952 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  1,775. 

Supervisor  First  District,  Israel  S.  Mathews,  432 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  801. 

JUDICIAL    ELECTION,    OCTOBER    16,    18G7. 

County  Judge,  *A.  M.  Rosborough,  840  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,  1,404. 

tFailed  to  give  additional  houds  aud  S.  E.  Stone  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  office,  December  28,  1867. 

•Resigned  September  16,  1867. 

t Did  not  qualify.  George  C.  Furber  appointed,  but  resigned 
May  4,  186S.     Office  vacant. 

*Elected  district  judge  in  1869.  William  McConaughy 
appointed  to  vacancy  by  the  G  o vernor. 


Supervisor  Third  District,  H.  S.  Stewart,  309 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  583. 

GENERAL   ELECTION,   NOVEMBER   3,    1868. 

Supervisor  Second  District,  W.  G.  Rider,  106 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  196. 

GENERAL    ELECTION,  SEPTEMBER    1,    1869. 

*Senator  Twenty-eighth  District,  William  Irwin, 
938  votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  1,611. 

Assemblyman,  R.  M.  Martin,  941  votes,  four  can- 
didates.    Total,  3,203. 

Assemblyman,  William  Shores,  926  votes,  four 
candidates.     Total,  3,203. 

District  Attorney,  -f-Edwin  Shearer,  929  votes, 
two  candidates.     Total,  1,599. 

County  Clerk,  A.  Hawkins,  907  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  1,615. 

Sheriff,  J.  C.  Burgess,  870  votes,  two  candidates. 
Total,  1,605. 

Treasurer,  R.  O.  DeWitt,  905  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  1,615. 

Assessor,  W.  J.  Root,  882  votes,  two  candidates. 
Total,  1,611. 

Surveyor,  A.  M.  Jones,  908  votes,  two  candidates. 
Total,  1,611. 

Coroner,  T.  T.  Cabaniss,  880  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total.  1,601. 

Public  Administrator,  S.  E.  Stone,  886  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,  1,594. 

School  Superintendent,  Grove  K.  Godfrey,  828 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  1,582. 

Supervisor,  Third  District,  S.  S.  Williams,  418 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  725. 

JUDICIAL    ELECTION,   OCTOBER   20,    1869. 

*Judge  Ninth  District,  A.  M.  Rosborough,  929 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  1.398. 

GENERAL   ELECTION,   SEPTEMBER   7,  1870. 

Supervisor  First  District,  *H.  C.  Tickner,  225 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  380. 

GENERAL    ELECTION,    SEPTEMBER    6,    1871. 

Assemblyman.  J.  K.  Luttrell,  1,055  votes,  four 
candidates.     Total,  3,901. 

Assemblyman,  W.  A.  Little,  1,085  votes,  four  can- 
didates.    Total,  3,901. 

District  Attorney,  T.  A.  Bantz,  1,097  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,  1,967. 

County  Clerk,  John  V.  Brown,  1,004  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,   1,962. 

Sheriff,  William  H.  Morgan,  1,083  votes,  two  can- 
didates.    Total,  1,947. 

Treasurer,  Cnarles  Peters,  1,091  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  1,972. 

Assessor,  George  Durand,  1,041  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  1,948. 

Surveyor,  L.  Varnum,  1,136  votes,  two  candidates. 
Total,  1,967. 

Coroner,  Daniel  Ream,  1,110  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  1,953. 

*Siskiyou  county  alone. 

+Resijiied  December  2d,  1871.     T.  A.  Bantz  appointed. 


*Shasta,  Trinity  and  Siskiyou  counties. 
*  Resigned  August  6,  1872. 


76 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


Public  Administrator,  A.  H.Wallace,  1,115  votes, 
two  candidates.     Total,  1,966. 

School  Superintendent,  Grove  K.  Godfrey,  1,136 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  1,936. 

Supervisor  Second  District,  Rufus  Cole,  98  votes, 
two  candidates.     Total,  175. 

Water  Commissioners  First  District,  J.  McCon- 
aup-hy,  J.  R.  Coners,  E.  Bean. 

Water  Commissioners  Second  District,  none  elected. 

Water  Commissioners  Third  District,  J.  A.  Fair- 
childs,  H.  S.  Stewart,  Robert  Redding. 

JUDICIAL  ELECTION,  OCTOBER  18,  1871. 

County  Judge,  Edwin  Shearer,  771  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,  1,236. 

SPECIAL   ELECTION,  AUGUST   31,  1872. 

Supervisor  First  District,  *A.  M.  Johnson,  251 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  443. 

GENERAL   ELECTION,  NOVEMBER    5,    1872. 

Supervisor  Third  District,  William  McConnell, 
457  votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  760. 

GENERAL   ELECTION,   SEPTEMBER    3,    1873. 

*Senator  Twenty-eighth  District,  William  Irwin' 
932  votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  1,733. 

Assemblyman,  J.  W.  McBride,  1,009  votes,  four 
candidates.     Total,  3,459. 

Assemblyman,  William  T.  Cressler,  894  votes, 
four  candidates.     Total,  3,459. 

■j-District  Attorney,  William  McConaughy,  1,670 
votes,  one  candidate.     Total,  1,676. 

County  Clerk,  John  V.  Brown,  1,828  votes,  two 
candidates.    Total,  1,760. 

Sheriff,  Francis  Riley,  940  votes,  two  candidates. 
Total  1,762. 

Treasurer,  Charles  Peters,  1,753  votes,  one  candi- 
date.    Total,  1,753. 

Assessor,  George  Durand,  1,072  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  1,711. 

Surveyor,  A.  M.  Jones,  1,007  votes,  two  candi- 
dates,    total,  1,767. 

Public  Administrator  and  Coroner,  J.  W.  Hughes, 
982  votes,  two  candidates.     Total  1,759. 

School  Superintendent,  William  Duenkel,  986 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  1.750. 

Supervisor  First  District,  J.  A.  Davidson,  320 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  589. 

GENERAL    ELECTION,    SEPTEMBER    2,    1874. 

Supervisor  Second  District,  E.  P.  Pickens,  83 
votes,  one  candidate.     Total,  83. 

GENERAL   ELECTION,   SEPTEMBER    1,    1875. 

*Senator  Twenty-eighth  District,  William  J.  Tin- 
nin,  869  votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  1,516. 

t Assemblyman,  G.  F.  Harris,  746  votes,  two  can- 
didates.    Total,  1,498. 

District  Attorney,  H.  B.  Gillis,  854  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,  1,503. 

*  To  fill  vacancy. 

"oiskiyou  comity  alone. 

^Resigned  November  1,  1875.     H.  B.  Gillis  appointed. 

*Siskiyou,  Modoc,  Shasta  and  Trinity  counties. 

TSiskiyou  and  Modoc  counties. 


County  Clerk,  A.  P.  McCarton,  798  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,  1,531. 

Sheriff,  J.  M.  C  Jones,  819  votes,  two  candidates. 
Total,  1,524. 

Treasurer,  William  McConnell,  926  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,   1,521. 

^Assessor,  E.  W.  Conner,  938  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  1,513. 

Surveyor,  David  Ream,  814  votes,  two  candidates. 
Total  1,501. 

Public  Administrator  and  Coroner,  L.  Varnum, 
868  votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  1,515. 

School  Superintendent,  William  Duenkel,  943 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  1,523. 

§Supervisor  Third.  District,  W.  T.  Laird,  293  votes, 
two  candidates.     Total,  542. 

For  Constitutional  Convention,  600  votes. 

Against  Constitutional  Convention,  262  votes. 

JUDICIAL  ELECTION,  OCTOBER,  20,  1875. 

*Judge  Ninth  District,  A.  M.  Rosborough,  561 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  1,233. 

County  Judge,  Edwin  Shearer,  749  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,  1,233. 

GENERAL    ELECTION,   NOVEMBER   7,    1876. 

Supervisor  First  District,  James  A.  Davidson,  435 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  823. 

GENERAL    ELECTION,   SEPTEMBER   5,    1877. 

*Senator  Twenty-eighth  District,  Daniel  Ream, 
966  votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  1,733. 

-(-Assemblyman,  P.  C.  Robertson,  971  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,   1,728. 

District  Attorney,  H.  B.  Gillis,  1,022  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,  1,718. 

County  Clerk,  Joseph  Rice,  935  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  1,729. 

Sheriff,  F.  Riley,  909  votes,  two  candidates.  To- 
tal, 1,712. 

Treasurer,  G.  A.  Nordheim,  869  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  1,725. 

Surveyor,  Lorin  H.  Varnum,  831  votes,  one  candi- 
date.    Total,  838. 

Public  Administrator  and  Coroner,  Charles  Le 
Beau,  967  votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  1,732. 

School  Superintendent,  H.  A.  Morse,  1,010  votes, 
two  candidates.     Total,  1,676. 

Supervisor  Second  District,  J.  Garretson,  156 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  297. 

For  Constitutional  Convention,  1,317  votes. 

Against  Constitutional  Convention,  101  votes. 

SPECIAL    ELECTION,   JUNE    19,    1878. 

Delegates  to  Constitutional  Convention,  giving 
vote  received  in  this  county  only. 

Delegate  Twenty-eighth  Senatorial  District,  em- 
bracing Siskiyou,  Shasta,  Modoc  and  Trinity  coun- 
ties: William  McConnell,  254  votes;  *D.  C.  Stephen- 
son, 148  votes;  scattering,  3  votes. 

Delegate  joint  from  Modoc  and  Siskiyou  counties: 

tTerm  increased  to  four  years. 

§  Resigned  May  6,  1S7S.     John  B.  Rohrer  appointed. 


*Shasta,  Trinity,  and  Siskiyou  counties. 


*  Siskiyou,  Modoc,  Shasta  and  Trinity  counties. 
+  Siskiyou  and  Modoc  counties. 


■I 


^'1) 


TT 


lip 


MANUEL  PEKEIKA. 


MBS.  MANUEL  PEKELJRA. 


4*m 


■N>«S«&S\\\i     .      S  ,   , 


MANUEL  WHITE. 


Infant  Child  of  Me.  and  Mrf.  Pereiba. 


■>£ 


I 

cs 

a, 

UJ 
CO 

o 


z 
< 

G 


_l 
< 

d 
o 

o 
> 

w 
m 

w 

bJ 
z 
o 
-> 
I- 
tn 
o 
u. 

u. 
O 
I 
I- 

o 

V) 

m 
u 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


77 


*Jehu  Berry,    290  votes;  Elijah    Steele,    31   votes; 
scattering,  8. 

GENERAL  ELECTION,  SEPTEMBER  4,  1878. 

Supervisor  Third  District,  W.  J.  Evans,  81  votes, 
one  candidate.     Total,  83. 

SPECIAL    ELECTION,    MAY   7,  1879. 

For  the  New  Constitution,  1,169  votes.  Against 
the  New  Constitution,  226  votes.  Majority,  942 
votes. 

GENERAL  ELECTION,  SEPTEMBER  3,  1879. 

*Senator  Twenty-eighth  District,  A.  B.  Carlock, 
822  votes,  two  candidates.     Total  1,695. 

-{-Assemblyman,  J.  R.  Cook,  927  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  1,680. 

Superior  Judge,  Elijah  Steele,  940  votes,  two  can- 
didates.    Total,  1,683'. 

District  Attorney,  H.  B.  Gillis,  969  votes,  two  can- 
didates.    Total,  1,677. 

County  Clerk,  Joseph  Rice,  1,097  votes,  two  can- 
didates.    Total,  ], 688. 

Sheriff,  D.  N.  Lash,  861  votes,  two  candidates. 
Total,  1,698. 

Treasurer,  A.  H.  Burrows,  873  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  1,687. 

Assessor,  Elisha  DeWitt,  1,089  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  1,693. 

Surveyor,  L.  H.  Varnum,  973  votes,  two  candi- 
dates.    Total,  1,696. 

Public  Administrator  and  Coroner,  William 
Coole}7,  934  votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  1,667. 

School  Superintendent,  H.  A.  Morse,  1,034  votes, 
two  candidates.     Total,  1,701. 

Supervisor,  First  District,  John  W.  McBride,  401 
votes,  two  candidates.     Total,  794. 

For  Chinese  Immigration,  7. 

Against  Chinese  Immigration,  1,692. 

GENERAL  ELECTION  NOVEMBER  4,  1880. 

*  Assemblvman,  John  Daggett,  890  votes,  two 
candidates.     Total,  l,68cS. 

The  officers  of  Siskiyou  county,  as  at  present 
organized,  consist  of: — 

One  judge  of  the  Superior  Court. 

Three  supervisors. 

One  county  clerk,  who  is  ex  officio  auditor,  recor- 
der, clerk  of  the  Superior  Court,  and  clerk  of  the 
board  of  supervisors,  board  of  equalization  and  board 
of  canvassers. 

One  district  attorney. 

One  sheriff,  who  is  ex  officio  tax-collector. 

One  treasurer. 

One  public  administrator  and  coroner. 

One  superintendent  of  schools. 

One  assessor. 

One  State  senator  for  Siskiyou,  Modoc,  Shasta 
and  Trinity  counties  jointly. 

One  member  of  the  assembly  for  Siskiyou  and 
Modoc  counties  jointly. 

It  is  not  the  design  of  this  work  to  deal  with  the 
political  history  of  the   county  so  far  as  party  poli- 

*  Elected. 


*  Siskiyou,  Mod>c,  Shasta  and  Trinity  counties, 
t  Siskiyou  and  Modoc  counties. 

*  Siakiyou  and  Modoc  counties  jointly. 


tics  are  concerned,  but  the  following  table  has  been 
prepared  to  show  the  political  complexion  of  the  vote 
cast  at  all  presidential  and  gubernatorial  elections  as 
well  as  on  the  chief  questions  that  have  at  various 
times  come  before  the  people  of  the  State.  The 
name  first  written  is  that  of  the  successful  candidate 
or  measure. 

TABLE    OF    COUNTY    VOTE    SINCE    1852. 


Election. 


Candidates. 


1852  -  Presidential 

1853  -J  Gubernatorial  . . 
1855  -  Gubernatorial  . . 


1856-  Presidential  .. 

1S57-*  Gubernatorial 
1857 -'  State  Debt.... 


1S59-)  Gubernatorial  .. 


1860  i  Presidential . . . 


1861  •  Gubernatorial 


1863  ■.  Gubernatorial  . .  -j 


1S64-1  Presidential 
1867-  Gubernatorial  . 

1868  {  Presidential  . . . 

1871  -i  Gubernatorial  . 

1872  -!  Presidential 
( 

1875'  Gubernatorial  . 

( 
1876  ■!  Presidential  . . . 


1877 


(  Con»titutional     j 
(     Convention  . . .  ( 


(  (       Ratification 
'(  of   Constitution. 

1879^  Gubernatorial  .. 


1S79 


1880,  Presidential 


Franklin  Pierce 

WinfieW    Scott 

.Tobn  Bigler 

William  Waldo 

J.  Neely  Johnson  .... 

John  Bigier 

James  Bu  jhanan 

John  C.  Fremont  .... 

Millard  Fillmore 

John  B.  Weller 

Edward  Stanley 

G.  W.  Bowie 

Pay 

Repudiate 

M.  S.  Latham  

John  Currey 

Leland  Stanford 

Abraham  Lincoln.... 
Stephen  A.  Douglas.. 
J.  0.  Breckenridye . . . 

John  Bell 

Leland  Stanford 

J.  R.  McConnell 

John  Conness 

Frederick  F.  Low. . . . 

John  G.  Downey 

Abraham  Lincoln 

George  B.  McClellan  . 

Henry  H.  Haight 

George  (J.  Gorham  . . . 

TalcbT.  Fay 

Ulysses  S.  Grant 

Horatio  Seymour 

Newton  B>"th 

Henry  H.  Haight  . . . 
Ulysses  S.  Grant  .... 

Horace  Greeley 

Charles  O'Conor 

William  Irwin 

T.  G.  Phelps  

John  Bidwell 

Rutherford  R.  Hayes. 

Samuel  J.  Tilden 

For 

Against  

For 

Against 

George  C.  Perkins . . . 

H"ffh  J.Glenn 

William  F.  White  ... 
James  A.  Garfield  . . . 
Winfield  S.  Hancock  . 
James  B.  Weaver 


Party. 


Democrat 

Wh.'g 

Democrat.  .. 

Whig 

Know-Nothing 

Democrat 

democrat 

Republican  . . . 

Vmerican  

Democrat 

Republican  . . . 
Vmerican 


Democrat   

A.  L.  Democrat 
Republican  .... 
Republican  .... 
[nil.  Democrat. 

Democrat 

Const.  Union. . 
Republican  .... 

Democrat 

Union  Democrat 

Un'on 

Democrat 

Republican 

Democrat  ..... 

Democrat 

Republican  .... 
Ind.  Republican 

Republican 

Democrat 

Republican  .... 

Demo  -rat 

Rcnublican  .... 
Lib.  and  Dem. . 

Democrat 

Democrat 

Republican 

Independent . . . 
Republican  .... 
Democrat 


Republican 
D  m.  &  N.  C.  P. 
Workingmen . . . 
Republ.caH 
Democrat ...... 

Greenback  


49! 
459 
819 
635 
2045 
I3H8 

20' 

464 
1791 
2425 

331 
1212 


21511 

1303 

43 

955 

1503 
760 
516 

1168 
71 

1280 

1053 
9TO 
925 
95' 
985 
744 
34 
835 
918 
872 

1101 
709 
663 

8S6 
49C 
154 
718 
861 

131 
10' 

1169 
22t 
666 
917 
116 
799 
899 
18 


3413 


4328 


3734 


3165 
2052 


1S82 


753 
1973 


1372 


1530 


CHAPTER  XI. 

FINANCIAL  AND  PUBLIC  BUILDINGS- 
FINANCIAL. 

The  first  orders  issued  by  the  county  of  Siskiyou 
were  authorized  by  the  Court  of  Sessions  June  16, 
1852.  They  were  twelve  in  number  and  were 
issued  to  the  commissioners  appointed  to  organize 
the  county,  for  their  services  and  expenses  while 
performing  their  duties.  They  amounted  to  each  as 
follows:— Wilson  T.  Smith,  $52 ;  H.  G.  Ferris,  $51; 
D.  H.  Lowry,  $60;  C  M.  Tutt,  $68;  Theodore  F. 
Rowe,  $87.  The  total  expense  of  organizing  the 
county  and  holding  the  first  election  under  the  Act 
of  the  Leo-islature  was  $1,178  15,  for  which  warrants 
were  issued  by  the  Court  of  Sessions. 

So  expensive  was  everything  used  in  the  early 
days  and  so  great  were  the  fees  allowed  for  official 
services,  that  not  only  the  State  but  every  county, 
also,  ran  badly  into  debt  during  the  first  few  years 
of  its  existence.     The  amount  of  tangible  taxable 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


property  was  small,  and  the  rate  of  tax  at  first 
imposed  entirely  inadequate  to  raise  a  sum  sufficient 
to  meet  the  current  expenses  of  the  county  govern- 
ment.    The  population  was  of  an  active  and  ener- 
getic character,  whose  chief  capital  was  enterprise 
and  hope,  and  whose  property  consisted  mainly  of 
mining   claims   of   a   fleeting  and  indefinite  value. 
The  county  had  not  been  long  enough  settled   to 
admit  of  the  creation  of  valuable  property  to  serve 
as  a  financial  basis  for  a  government,  and  yet  the 
county  government  was  run  on  a  scale  commensu- 
rate with  the  prodigality  of  the  times,  and  with  but 
little  regard  to  the  scarcity  of  its  resources  or  the 
brevity  of  its  assessment  list.     Services  were  per- 
formed and  materials  furnished  at  a  high  price,  but 
there  was  not  money  enough  in  the  treasury  to  meet 
a  tithe  of  the  warrants  issued  therefor.  They  rapidly 
accumulated  until  a  great  debt  was  piled  up,  when 
an  application  to  the  Legislature  for  a  measure  to 
relieve  the  county  of  the  immediate  burden  of  its 
obligations  resulted  in  an  Act  providing  for  a  fund- 
ing of  the  debt.     The  Act  of  April  29,  1857,  con- 
stituted the  chairman  of  the  board  of  supervisors, 
auditor    and    treasurer    a    board    of   funding    com- 
missioners, with  power  to  issue  bonds  equal  in  amount 
to  the  total  indebtedness  of  the  county  existing  the 
first  of  January,  1858,  after  which  date  the  board  of 
supervisors  were  forbidden   to  create  any  debt  of 
more  than  one  thousand   dollars  in    excess  of    the 
amount  of  money  in  the  treasury  subject  to  its  pay- 
ment.    The  bonds  were  to  be  issued  in  amounts  of 
five  hundred  and  one  hundred  dollars,  due  January 
1,  1869,  and  to  bear  interest  at  the  rate  of  ten  per 
cent,  per  annum.     A  special  annual  interest  tax  of 
thirty-five  cents  on  the  one  hundred  dollars  of  tax- 
able property   was  authorized  to  be  levied,  and  the 
creation  of  a  sinking  fund  was  provided  for. 

County  warrants  and  juror's  certificates  issued  by 
order  of  the  Court  of  Sessions  and  board  of  super- 
visors from  the  organization  of  the  county  until  Jan- 
uary 1,  1858,  and  which  were  covered  by  the  pro- 
visions of  the  Funding  Act,  amounted  to  $235,013  71. 
Of  this  sum  about  one  hundred  thousand  dollars 
were  paid  by  means  of  funds  flowing  into  the  treas- 
ury from  taxes  and  licenses,  while  the  remainder 
stood  as  a  debt  against  the  county  to  be  funded 
under  the  provisions  of  this  Act. 

The  bonds  issued  by  the  funding  commissioners 
are  shown  in  the  succeeding  table. 

Of  these  bonds  the  first  redemption  was  made  in 
1861,  $1,100  being  surrendered  at  fifty- three  and 
one-half  cents.  This  was  the  lowest  figure  at  which 
Siskiyou  county  bonds  were  ever  taken  up,  and 
annually,  until  they  were  refunded  in  1869,  a  por- 
tion ot  the  bonds  were  canceled  at  rates  varyino- 
irom  that  to  ninety-nine  and  three-fourths  cents° 
the  average  on  the  whole  amount  beino-  $  738  on 
the  dollar.  The  time  for  the  redemption  of  these 
bonds  drawing  near,  and  the  county  bein*  unable  to 
provide  for  the  payment  in  full,  the  Legislature,  by 
Act  of  March  26,  1868,  authorized  the  chairman 
ot  the  board  of  supervisors  and  the  county  auditor 
to  become  funding  commissioners,  to  issue  bonds  in 
amount  equal  to  the  bonds  of  the  county  outstand- 
ing January  1,  1869,  to  run  for  ten  years  from  that 
date  and  to  bear  interest  at  the  rate  of  ten  per  cent 
per  annum;  providing  also  for  an  interest  tax  and  a 


sinking  fund  for  redeeming  the  new  county  bonds. 
SISKIYOU    COUNTY    BONDS    OF    1858. 


WHEN" 
ISSUED. 


TO   WHOM  ISSUED. 


April    2 


11 
11 
11 
11 
11 
11 
11 
11 
11 
11 
11 

12 

1L' 

13 
13 
22 
22 
22 
22 
23 
23 
23 
23 
23 
23 
23 
23 
23 
■i:\ 
26 


Jan.      25  Holland  Parker 

"        25  James  D.  Turner 

26  J.  P.  Goodale.. 

28  D.  D.  Colton... 

28  Eli  II.  Stone 

"        29  Andrew  Meier 

Feb.      17  E.  Wadsworth 

18  E.  Wadsworth  . 

18  E.  Wadsworth 

18  E.  Wadsworth  .... 

18  Jonas  W.  Brown. 

19  Samuel  P.  Fair 

March  10  H.  Goldsmith 

11  E.  Wadsworth 

E.  Wadsworth 
E.  Wadsworth 

D.  D.  Colton 

Hoyt  &  Wicks 

E.  M.  Stevens 

Thomas  Masterson 

John  Cleland 

Jonas  W.  Brown  ._ 

H.  Goldsmith 

William  Harding... 
W.  D.  Batterton.. 
Greathouse  &  Bro. 
L.  Livingston 

D.  D.  Colton _. 

Jerome  Churchill... 
H.  Goldsmith  &  Co  . 
A.  M.  Rosborough. . 
T.  T.  Cabaniss 

E.  Wadsworth . 

E.  Wadsworth 

E.  H.  Stone 

E.  Wadsworth 

Hugh  Morgan 

Charles  Bibend 

E.  K.  Phipps _. 

Greathouse  &  Bro. . 

E.  Wadsworth 

L.  Livingston _ 

W.  D.  Batterton 

Greathouse  &  Bro 


June 


26JE.  Wadsworth 

26  John  Long 

26'H.  Goldsmith  &  Co" 

26  D.  D.  Colton 


30 
30 
30 
30 
30 
30 
30 
30 
30 
30 
30 
30 
30 
30 
30 


T.  T.  Cabaniss... 
Jonas  W.  Brown 
Samuel  P.  Fair.. . 
Holland  Parker.  . 
W.  D.  Batterton. 
L.  Livingston. . 

E.  K.  Phipps 

John  Justice 
W.  II.   Gatliff.... 
Luuer  &  Bro 
H.  T.  Templeton. 
John  Eldridge.  ... 
reathouse  &  Bro 

H.  Parker 

Jerome  Churchill  . 


NO. 

ISSUED. 


AMOUNT    OF 
BONDS. 


5 

$       1,300 

2 

600 

1 

100 

12 

6,000 

10 

3,400 

2 

1,000 

34 

17,000 

21 

8,900 

2 

1,000 

3 

1,500 

19 

9,100 

38 

18,200 

58 

6,600 

2 

1.000 

2 

1,000 

1 

500 

4 

400 

1 

100 

3 

300 

3 

300 

1 

500 

1 

500 

18 

1,800 

4 

400 

34 

3,400 

34 

3,400 

2 

600 

11 

3,500 

8 

3,200 

19 

5,100 

6 

1,400 

21 

8,900 

2 

200 

6 

1,400 

4 

1,200 

3 

1,500 

1 

100 

2 

1,000 

1 

500 

5 

2,500 

3 

700 

6 

2.200 

10 

3.800 

5 

1,300 

1 

100 

1 

100 

3 

300 

1 

100 

1 

500' 

2 

200 

2 

200 

2 

200 

4 

400 

1 

100 

1 

100 

3 

1,500 

4 

800 

1 

100 

3 

700 

2 

200 

1 

100 

2 

200 

Total 465 


$133,300 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


79 


The  condition  of  the  bonds  at  the  time  of  refunding 
•  in  1869  was  as  follows: — 

Total  interest  paid   to  date $111,170  00 

Total  amount  redeemed 69,500  00 

Average  rate  of  redemption 738 

Total  paid  for  redemption 51,291  00 

Total  outstanding   bonds 63,800  00 

This  amount  was  negotiated  by  the  commissioners 
with  E.  &  H.  Wads  worth  as  follows: — 

105  bonds  of  $500     each $52,500 

112      "      "  $100         "    11,200 

1      "      to  Louis  Heller 100 

Total— 218  bonds $63,800 

The  ensuing  ten  years  saw  but  slight  reduction 
'   in  the  amount  of   the  funded   indebtedness  of  the 
:    county,  and  theLegislature.bj'  Actof  March  28, 1878, 
provided  for  again  refunding  the  debt,  the  chairman 
of  the  board  of  supervisors  and  the   county  auditor 
being  constituted  a  board  of  funding  commissioners 
i    for  that  purpose.     The  bonds  were  made  payable  in 
■    ten  years  from  January  1,  1879,  and  to  bear  interest 
at  seven  per  cent.     An  interest  tax  was  provided 
for,  and  a  sinking  fund,  to  consist  of  the  annual  sur- 
plus in  the  general  and  interest  funds.       Whenever 
the  sinking  fund   contained  $1,000  the  supervisors 
were  authorized  to  advertise  for   the   surrender  of 
bonds  upon  a  certain  date,  from  which  date  interest 
upon  such  advertised  bonds  should  cease. 

At  the  date  of  refunding  the  following  was  the 
condition  of  the  bonds  of  1869: — 

Total  interest  paid $55,920  00 

Redeemed  at  $.995 8,200  00 

Redeemed  at  par 500  00 

Amount  paid  for  redemption 8,659  00 

Outstanding  bonds 55,100  00 

The  new  bonds  were  negotiated  with  E.  &  H. 
Wadsworth  as  follows: — 

51  bonds  of  $100  each $  5,100  00 

100  bonds  of  $500  each 50,000  00 

Total,  151  bonds $55,100  00 

The  board,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of 
the  Act,  advertised  for  the  surrender  of  bonds  to 
the  amount  of  $2,700,  March  13,  1880,  from  which 
date  interest  ceased  to  run  on  them.  Of  these  only 
$900  have  been  surrendered,  leaving  $1,800  still 
out,  but  bearing  no  interest.  The  condition  of  the 
bonds,  February  1,  1881,  was: — 

Redeemed '. $900  00 

Outstanding,  bearing  interest,  $52,400  00 
Outstanding,  not  bearing  in- 
terest        1,800  00 

Total  outstanding $54,200  00 

Total $55,100  00 

Total  interest  paid 7,607  81 

The  following  recapitulation  of  the  above  exhibits 
presents  a  startling  array  of  figures  for  a  count}' 
with  the  population  and  assessment  valuation  of 
Siskiyou.     They  should  be  carefully  studied: — 


Interest  on  bonds  of  1858,  $111,170  00 
Interest  on  bonds  of  1869,  55,920  00 
Interest  on  bonds  of  1879,         7,607  81 


Total  interest  paid $174,697  81 

Paid  to  redeem  1858  bonds,  $51,291  00 
Paid  to  redeem  1869  bonds,  8,659  00 
Paid  to  redeem  1879  bonds,         900  00 


Total  paid  for  redemption 60,850  00 

Outstanding,  bearing  inter- 
est   ..$52,400  00 

Outstanding,  not  bearing  in- 
terest        1,800  00 

Total  outstanding  bonds 54,200  00 

Total  interest  and  bonds  redeemed  and 

outstanding $289,747  81 

ASSESSMENT    VALUATION    FOR     THE    YEAR    1881,    BY 
SCHOOL    DISTRICTS. 

Bogus $21,389 

Butteville 79,626 

Berryvale 33,277 

Black  Bear 66,728 

Cottonwood 105,901 

Cottage  Grove 14,115 

Callahan's 77,677 

Cedar  Park 99,369 

Douglas 79,510 

Etna 195,908 

East  Fork 24,984 

Foot-hill 23,266 

Franklin 106,282 

Forks 37,914 

Greenhorn 40,823 

Hawkinsville 61,531 

Humbug 29,937 

Hooper 39,182 

Hamburg 10,489 

Klamath 38,808 

Kidder 35,142 

Little  Shasta 55,183 

Meamber 45,591 

Moffitt  Creek 10,565 

Oro  Fino - 62,169 

Oak  Grove 23,674 

Quartz  Valley 35,596 

Shasta  Valley 76,969 

Scott  Valley 213,908 

Sawyer's  Bar 65,390 

Scott  River 68,629 

South  Fork 39,061 

Sciad 11,037 

Salmon 15,343 

Table   Rock 291,656 

Union 83,292 

Vineland 125,806 

Washington 123,289 

Willow   Creek    88  189 

Yreka 607,090 

Total $3,519,699 


80 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


ASSESSMENT  VALUATIONS  AND   RATE   OF   TAX. 


1852  .. 

1853. . . 

1S54. . . 

1S55... 

1856. . . 

1S57... 

1858... 

1859. . . 

1860... 

1861... 

1862. . . 

1S63. .. 

1864... 

1865. . . 

1866. . . 

1867. . . 

1868... 

186!).  . . 

1870. . . 

1871... 
*1872... 
♦1873... 
♦1874... 
•1875... 
*1876. .. 
*1S77. .  . 
*1878... 
*1879. . . 
*18S0. .. 


S3 


H 


36,557 
190,613 
297.943 
5SS,755 


711,915 


874, 38S 

909,318 

864,367 

368,266 

514,760 

310,285 

455, 5  -ii 

472,56 

277,845 

624,368 

586,023 

707,933 

787,435 

1,415,503 

1,649,733 

1,603,630 

1,651,179 

1,546,650 

1,530,403 

1,503,092 

1,504,734 

2,034,002 


$  442,431 

726,577 

828,820 

1,629,726 


2,0S9,455 


1,612,450 
1,973,074 
1,539,832 
760,924 
983,432 
729,131 
1,020,600 
1,045,447 
721,500 
1,236,776 
1,365,809 
1,446,277 
1,434,020 
2,535,762 
2,078,955 
1,728,649 
1,571,715 
1,073,241 
1,107,633 
1,148,275 
1,157,478 
1,681,555 


%   47S.988 

917,190 

1,126,763 

2,218,481 


2,801,370 


2,4S6,838 
2,882,392 
2,404,199 
1,227,297 
1,498,192 
1,039,416 
1,476,124 
1,518,00 
999,345 
1.861,144 
1,951,832 
2,154,210 
2,221,455 
3,951,265 
3,728,688 
3,332,279 
3,222,894 
2,619.891 
2,638,036 
2,651,367 
2,662,212 
3,715,557 


Tax  on  $100. 


State.  County 


0  60 
0  60 
0  70 
0  70 
0  60 
0  60 
0  60 
0  62 

0  87 

1  25 
1  15 

i'i3 

1  00 
0  97 
0  865 
0  865 
0  50 
0  50 
0  649 
0  605 
0  735 
0  63 
0  55 
0  625 
0  64 


0  53 
0  65 
0  65 
0  90 

0  SO 
50 
65 
65 
65 
78 
80 

2  06 

1  85 
1  47 


1  27 
1  27 
1  28 
1  40 
1  75 
1  10 
1  25 


1  151 


145 

065 
17 
25 
175 


0  86 


Hosp. 
and 
Poll 
Tax. 


$3  00 


2  00 
2  00 
2  00 
8  00 
4  00 


*  Full  cash  value. 


PUBLIC   BUILDINGS. 

Unlike  many  of  the  counties  of  California,  Siski- 
you has  never  suffered  the  loss  of  any  of  its  public 
buildings  by  fire,  nor  have  any  of  its  important 
records  been  destroyed  or  damaged.  They  are, 
however,  kept  without  any  protection  by  safe  or 
vault,  and  in  case  of  fire  would  be  totally  lost. 

The  commissioners  who  organized  the  county  held 
their  meetings  and  canvassed  the  votes  in  the  Ver- 
andah, the  most  popular  saloon  in  Yreka,  and 
seemed  to  give  as  good  satisfaction  as  in  the  most 
elaborate  temple  of  justice  ever  erected.  The  first 
court  room  was  rented  by  the  county  and  occupied 
the  upper  part  of  a  building  on  Miner  street  near 
Main,  where  Duenkel's  saloon  now  is.  The  county 
offices  were  below  in  the  same  building.  The  sheriff 
had  an  office  in  a  log  building  where  Herzog's 
market  stands,  until  the  fire  of  1854  burned  it  to 
the  ground.  A  brick  building  was  then  erected  on 
the  same  site,  and  the  sheriff's  office  occupied  the 
front  of  the  upper  story,  while  the  Yreka  Union 
was  in  the  rear.  A  new  building  was  also  built  on 
Fourth  street,  in  the  rear  of  King's  present  store,  in 
which  was  the  Eclampus  Vitus  hall.  This  was 
occupied  for  a  court  room  and  clerk's  office.  A 
small  wooden  jail  was  built  on  the  south-west  cor- 
ner of  the  plaza,  opposite  Mr.  Winckler's  residence, 
which  cost  the  county  three  thousand  dollars.  It 
was  here  that  the  Greenhorn  riot  occurred,  and 
after  that  event  a  high  board  fence  was  built  about 
the  jail.  The  door  of  this  old  structure  still  closes 
upon  poor  unfortunates  who  get  into  the  clutches  of 
the  officers,  and  is  the  portal  through  which  City 
Marshal  Halliek  ushers  his  guests  into  the  quarters 
prepared  for  them  in  the  city  calaboose. 

Early  in  1856  the  board  of  supervisors  advertised 
for  bids  for  a  brick  court  house,  and  on  the  first  of 


April  accepted  the  bid  of  A.  Witherall  for  $15,479. 
This  gentleman  assigned  his  bid  to  R.  L.  Westbrook 
and  H.  T.  Shepard,  to  whom  the  contract  was  accord- 
ingly let.  On  the  fourteenth  of  the  same  month  the 
board  ordered,  "That  the  said  court  house  shall  be 
placed  in  the  center  of  the  public  square,  in  Yreka 
City,  Siskiyou  county,  California,  at  equal  distances 
from  the  ontsides,  the  ends  or  fronts  of  said  building 
to  face  Fourth  and  Oregon  streets,  being  at  right 
angles  with  said  square."  The  building  was  com- 
pleted the  next  spring  and  formally  accepted  April 
18,  1857,  thirteen  hundred  dollars  being  allowed  for 
extras,  making  a  total  cost  of  $16,779.  The  struc- 
ture still  serves  the  county  as  a  court  house,  and 
forms  one  of  the  illustrations  of  this  volume.  It  is 
two  stories  high,  the  lower  floor  being  occupied  by 
the  offices  of  the  county  clerk,  sheriff,  district 
attorney  and  superior  judge,  while  up  stairs  are 
the  office  of  the  assessor  and  a  commodious  court 
room.  The  plaza  surrounding  it  is  well  covered  with 
grass  and  ornamented  with  large  locust  trees,  a 
splendid  flag  pole  standing  at  the  north-east  corner. 

In  May,  1875,  the  county  purchased  for  $350  a 
lot  65x160  feet  on  the  north-west  corner  of  Fourth 
and  Lane  streets,  where  the  Catholic  parsonage  had 
stood  previous  to  the  fire  of  1871.  The  contract  for 
building  a  stone  jail  on  this  lot,  according  to  the 
plans  of  the  California  Bridge  and  Building  Company 
was  let  the  same  month  to  F.  Stockslager,  at  $6,410. 
The  structure  was  completed  a  year  later.  In  the 
fall  of  1877  a  stone  wall  was  built  around  the  jail 
by  W.  B.  Cantrell,  for  $2,550.  The  old  wooden 'jail 
was  torn  down. 

The  first  hospital  for  the  care  of  the  sick  was  a 
private  institution  kept  by  Dr.  J.  S.  Cummins  and 
A.  M.  C.  Smith.  It  was  in  a  large  building  where 
Red  Men's  Hall  now  stands,  owned  by  Alvy  Boles 
and  Dr.  Dane,  in  1852.  It  was  not  a  paying  in- 
vestment, and  was  soon  abandoned.  Soon  after  the 
county  authorities  began  to  provide  for  the  indigent- 
sick,  making  contracts  with  physicians  and  others 
to  care  for  them.  In  May,  1857,  the  supervisors 
purchased  a  county  hospital  from  Dr.  John  Ridgly 
for  $5,500.  It  was  a  building  he  had  used  for  the 
purpose,  while  taking  care  of  the  sick  under  con- 
tract with  the  county.  This  served  the  purpose  for 
a  number  of  years,  but  in  1869  it  was  deemed  too 
small,  and  steps  were  taken  to  sec  re  another  and 
larger  one.  These  resulted  in  the  purchase  in  April, 
1870,  of  the  present  hospital  premises  from  Dr. 
Daniel  Ream,  for  $3,353,  and  the  old  property  was 
sold.  Contracts  are  now  made  by  the  supervisors 
with  some  responsible  individual  to  maintain  the 
indigent  of  the  county  at  the  hospital,  anil  also  with 
some  physician  to  give  the  requisite  medical  attend- 
ance. Dr.  Daniel  Ream  has  been  the  medical 
attendant  for  years,  while  W.  A.  B.  Mills  has  charge 
of  the  institution. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  COURTS  AND  JUDICIARY. 

Law,  in  its  simplest  form,  was  introduced  into 
Alta  California  by  the  Caucasian  race  in  1769,  when 
the  mission  of  San  Diego  was  founded  by  the  Fran- 


m 


s£/$M<z^^ 


HUDSON.  B.  GILLIS. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  second  son  of  Ridg- 
way  B.  and  Margaret  Gillis,  was  born  at  Ridgway, 
Elk  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  eighth  of  Novem- 
ber, 1842.  He  is  of  Scotch  descent,  his  mother  being 
a  native  of  Scotland,  and  his  father,  though  born  in 
New  York,  of  Scotch  antecedents.  His  parents 
moved  with  him  to  Iowa  in  1849.  His  boyhood 
and  early  manhood  were  spent  in  the  Hawkeye 
State  and  in  Illinois  and  Nebraska.  In  June,  1869, 
he  graduated  at  the  Iowa  Wesk^an  University  of 
Mount  Pleasant,  having  maintained  himself  by  his 
own  personal  exertions  during  his  course  of  study  at 
that  institution.  The  last  two  years  of  his  collegiate 
life  were  principally  devoted  to  the  study  of  law,  he 
having  chosen  the  legal  profession  as  his  future 
vocation.  In  the  fall  of  1869  be  came  to  California 
with  the  intention  of  making  his  permanent  home 
on  the  coast.  He  continued  his  law  studies  for  some 
time  in  the  office  of  George  Cadwallader,  an  attorney 
at  Sacramento,  and  then  moved  to  Yreka.  Here  he 
entered  the  office  of  Judge  E.  Steele,  and  still 
labored  earnestly  to  perfect  his  knowledge  of  law, 
teaching  school  a  portion  of  the  time  for  his  support. 
Mr.  Gillis  was  admitted  to  the  Siskiyou  bar  in  1871, 
when  he  commenced  a  very  successful  and  lucrative 
practice.  Having  a  strong  ambition  to  reach  the 
higher  rounds  in  the  ladder  of  his  profession,  and 
being  determined  to  master  and  hold  every  step,  he 
steadily  rose  in  public  esteem  and  confidence,  until 


in  the  fall  of  1875  the  people  elected  him  to  the 
office  of  district  attorney,  which  he  now  holds,  hav- 
ing been  twice  re-elected.  He  was  married  in  the 
fall  of  1871  to  Miss  Anna  M.  Reynolds,  daughter  of 
Isaac  and  Maria  E.  Reynolds,  a  lady  of  great  mental 
attainments  and  intellectual  vigor.  The  union  has 
been  one  of  singular  and  continued  felicity.  Mr. 
Giliis  was' one  of  the  Siskiyou  county  commissioners 
to  wind  up  the  affairs  of  Klamath  county  in  1876. 
He  is  an  honored  and  efficient  member  of  How- 
ard Lodge,  No.  96,  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
and  held  the  chair  of  worthy  master  for  three  years. 
He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  every  political  cam- 
paign since  he  first  came  to  the  State.  Being  an 
able  speaker  he  has  stumped  the  county  on  several 
occasions  in  the  interests  of  Democracy,  and  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  workers  in  the  party.  The 
Scotch  character  largely  predominates  in  Mr.  Gillis' 
personal  appearance  and  in  the  bent  of  his  mind. 
He  is  tall,  bony  and  slender,  possessing  singularly 
penetrating  powers  of  mind  and  brings  untiring 
zeal  and  activity  into  whatever  he  undertakes.  As 
a  lawyer  he  is  logical,  searching  and  persistent,  and 
seldom  fails  to  win  his  point.  His  long  residence  on 
the  frontier  has  given  him  an  admirable  insight  into 
the  western  character,  to  which  hardy,  vigorous  class 
he  may  be  said  to  belong  himself.  As  a  public  offi- 
cer he  is  faithful  to  the  best  interests  of  the  people, 
and  as  a  private  citizen  he  has  a  circle  of  friends  and 
well-wishers  which  only  sterling  worth  and  man- 
hood can  create. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


81 


ciscan  Friars  under  the  leadership  of  Fal  her  Juni- 
pero  Serro.  At  this  and  other  missions  soon  after 
established,  the  padres  had  full  control,  administer- 
ing justice  in  the  manner  best  calculated  to  further 
the  interests  of  their  religion  and  cement  and  per- 
petuate the  feeble  government  they  had  set  up 
among  the  simple  natives  they  soon  gathered  about 
them.  The  military  sent  into  the  wilderness  to 
uphold  and  protect  the  missions  was  entirely  sub- 
servient to  the  authority  of  the  padres.  As  the 
Caucasians  increased  and  pueblos  (towns)  were 
established,  justice  was  administered  therein  by  an 
alcalde  (judge),  the  padres  still  reigning  supreme 
at  the  missions.  The  pueblos  increased  in  size 
and  the  authority  of  the  alcalde  and  other  civil 
officers  gradually  encroached  upon  that  of  the 
padres,  until  when  the  missions  were  secularized  by 
the  Mexican  government,  the  padres  lost  all  temporal 
authority,  and  the  civil  p  >wer  obtained  supreme 
control.  This  authority  was  exercised  along  the 
whole  coast  and  as  far  inland  as  the  military  arm 
had  strength  and  energy  enough  to  sustain  it. 

At  the  time  of  the  American  conquest,  the  courts 
existed  under  the  Mexican  laws  of  1837,  and  were 
composed  as  follows  in  the  Territory  of  California: 
The  highest  court,  having  an  appellate  jurisdiction 
and  corresponding  in  character  to  our  present 
Supreme  Court,  was  the  Superior  Court  of  California, 
consisting  of  four  judges  and  an  attorney-general. 
It  was  divided  into  the  first  and  second  benches, 
the  three  senior  judges  composing  the  first  and  the 
junior  the  second.  The  first  bench  was  called  the 
Court  of  the  Third  Instance,  and  its  decisions  were 
final.  Appeals  lay  to  this  court  from  the  second 
bench,  or  Court  of  the  Second  Instance.  The  latter 
court  had  first  jurisdiction  of  appeals  from  the  Court 
of  the  First  Instance,  the  highest  local  tribunal  then 
existing,  and  corresponding  very  closely  to  our 
Superior  Court.  The  lesser  magistrates  were  the 
first  alcalde  and  second  alcalde,  having  authority 
similar  to  that  exercised  by  our  justices  of  the  peace. 
In  some  districts  the  duties  of  judge  of  the  Court  of 
the  First  Instance  were  discharged  by  the  first 
alcalde.  The  Mexican  laws  remained  in  force,  and 
justice  was  administered  through  the  tribunals 
established  by  them,  until  the  courts  were  organized 
under  the  State  constitution  in  1850. 

After  the  American  conquest,  and  especially  after 
the  discovery  of  gold  had  led  to  the  wild  rush  of 
men  from  all  over  the  world  and  peopled  a  country 
before  almost  unknown  save  to  the  naked  and 
barbarous  natives,  the  courts  became  seriously  disor- 
ganized, or  rather  failed  to  become  organized  at  all. 
In  the  many  commercial  towns  and  mining  camps 
that  sprang  up  like  Aladdin's  castle,  there  was  no 
law  save  that  administered  by  the  restless  and  excit- 
able gold  hunter  and  no  court  but  the  bar  of  public 
opinion.  To  remedy  this  defect,  Gen.  Bennett 
Riley,  then  military  governor,  issued  a  proclamation, 
June  3,  1849,  in  which  among  other  things  he 
caked  upon  the  people  to  elect  alcaldes  and  judges, 
under  the  Mexican  laws  then  in  force,  who  should 
administer  justice  until  the  courts  to  be  established 
by  the  Constitution  .should  become  clothed  with  the 
powers  to  be  given  them  by  that  instrument. 

This  was  done  in  the  localities  then  sufficiently 
settled  to  require  a  magistrate,  a  condition  at  which 


tins  region,  as  yet  unknown  to  the  miner,  had  not 
at  that  time  arrived. 

The  courts  established  by  the  constitution  of  1849 
were  as  follows: — 

SUPREME  COURT. 

By  the  constitution  of  1849  the  highest  judicial 
power  in  the  State  was  vested  in  a  Supreme  Court, 
with  an  appellate  jurisdiction  of  causes  involving 
over  two  hundred  dollars,  and  in  all  cases  of  tax  and 
municipal  fines,  and  in  criminal  cases  amounting  to 
a  felony,  in  questions  of  law  only.  The  court  con- 
sisted of  a  chief  justice  and  two  associate  justices, 
any  two  of  whom  constituted  a  quorum.  The 
agreement  of  two  of  them  was  necessary  to  a  decision. 
The  term  of  office  was  fixed  at  six  years,  one  justice 
to  be  elected  in  1831,  and  one  each  second  year 
thereafter.  The  one  whose  term  was  first  to  expire 
.became  the  chief  justice.  The  first  justices  wore 
selected  by  the  Legislature  in  1850,  and  they  chose 
lots  among  themselves  for  the  terms  expiring  Janu- 
ary 1,  1852,  1854  and  1856,  these  terms  falling 
respectively  to  S.  C.  Hastings,  H.  A.  Lyons  and  Noah 
Bennett,  thus  making  Justice  Hastings  the  first  chief 
justice.  In  February,  1852,  Justice  Heydenfeldt 
by  a  joint  resolution  of  the  Legislature,  was  granted 
leave  of  absence  for  six  months.  It  became  evident, 
soon  after  his  departure,  that  the  remainder  of 
the  court  could  not  transact  business  with  any 
facility,  because  a  disagreement  between  them 
rendered  a  decision  impossible.  The  constitution 
empowered  the  governor  to  fill  any  vacancy  in  the 
court  by  appointment  until  the  next  general  election, 
but  this  was  not  a  vacancy,  it  was  simply  an  author- 
ized absence.  Based  upon  this  provision,  however: 
The  Legislature  passeel  an  Act,  March  25,  1852, 
authorizing  the  governor  to  fill  any  temporary 
vacancy  by  appointment;  the  next  clay  Hon.  Peter 
H.  Burnett  was  appointed,  but  declined  to  serve, 
deeming  the  Act  unconstitutional.  Hon.  Alexander 
Wells  was  appointed  on  the  second  of  April.  The 
constitutionality  of  the  Act  was  tested  on  an  agreed 
case,  and  the  members  of  the  court,  were  divided  in 
their  opinions,  Chief  Justice  Murray  deciding  against 
and  Justice  Anderson  in  favor  of  the  Act.  There 
being  no  adverse  decision,  Justice  Wells  took  his  seat. 
When  Justice  Heydenfeldt  returned  he  gave  an 
opinion  concurring  with  Chief  Justice  Murray  against 
the  validity  of  the  Act,  and  thus  it  was  declared 
unconstitutional;  not,  however,  until  Justice  Wells 
had  retired  from  the  bench. 

The  amendments  to  the  constitution  in  18G3 
altered  the  composition  of  the  court,  establishing  it 
as  it  remained  until  the  new  constitution  took  effect, 
January  1,  1880.  The  number  of  justices  was 
increased  to  five,  with  terms  of  ten  years,  one  to  be 
elected  every  second  year.  Five  were  elected  in 
18G3,  the  length  of  their  respective  terms  being 
decided  by  lot.  The  causes  that  could  be  carried  to 
the  Supreme  Court  were  placed  at  those  involving 
three  hundred  dollars  or  more.  The  new  constitu- 
tion made  a* radical  change  in  the  composition  of  the 
Supreme  Court.  That  body  now  consists  of  a  chief 
justice  and  six  associate  justices,  elected  by  the  peo- 
ple, their  terms  of  office  being  fixed  at  twelve  years. 

DISTRICT   COURT. 

This  was  the  highest  local  tribunal  of  original  ju- 


82 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


risdiction,  embracing  chancery,  civil  and  criminal 
causes.  As  at  first  created  it  had  original  cognizance 
of  all  cases  in  equity,  and  its  civil  jurisdiction 
embraced  all  causes  where  the  amount  in  question 
exceeded  two  hundred  dollars,  causes  involving  the 
title  to  real  property  or  the  validity  of  any  tax,  and 
issues  of  fact  joined  in  the  Probate  Court.  It  had 
power  to  inquire  into  criminal  offenses  by  means  of  a 
grand  jury,  and  to  try  indictments  found  by  that 
body.  In  1851,  the  legislature  took  from  this  court 
its  criminal  jurisdiction  and  conferred  it  upon  the 
Court  of  Sessions,  leaving  it  the  power  of  hearing- 
appeals  from  that  court  in  criminal  matters,  and  the 
power  to  try  all  indictments  for  murder,  manslaugh- 
ter, arson,  and  any  cases  in  which  the  members  of 
the  Court  of  Sessions  were  personally  interested. 

The  Act  creating  Siskiyou  county  did  not  assign  it 
to  any  judicial  district,  but  as  it  was  segregated 
from  Shasta  county,  it  was  assumed  that  it  still  con- 
stituted a  part  of  the  Ninth  district,  composed  of 
Shasta,  Butte  and  Colusa  counties.  Of  this  district 
Honorable  W.  S.  Sherwood  was  judge,  but  he  declined 
to  hold  a  term  of  court  in  Yreka,  although  he  made 
a  few  orders,  as  will  hereafter  appear.  When  the 
November  election  approached  the  question  of  hold- 
ing court  here  entered  largely  into  the  selection  of 
candidates  for  district  judge,  and  Hon.  William  A 
Robertson,  county  judge,  became  a  candidate,  with 
"Court  in  Yreka"  for  his  battle  cry.  Tne  opposing 
candidates  were  Hon.  George  A.  Smith  and  Hon. 
William  P.  Daingerfitdd.  Judge  Smith  Mas  the 
nominee  of  the  Democrats,  and  upon  the  promise 
made  by  him  to  hold  court  here,  received  nearly  the 
full  party  vote,  and  was  elected.  He  never  redeemed 
his  promise,  and  no  term  of  court  was  held  until 
the  next  year,  when  Siskiyou  county  had  become  a 
part  of  the  Eighth  district. 

The  first  order  on  the  record  of  the  court  bears 
date  May  13,  1852,  the  day  after  the  county  officers 
were  sworn  in.     It  is  as  follows: — 

DISTRICT    COURT   MINUTES   NINTH    JUDICIAL    DISTRICT,    STATE    OF 
CALIFORNIA,  COUNTY   OF   STSlilYOU. 

Li  Vacation  of  Oouit,  May  13th,  1S52. 
James  Stevenson  ~| 

vs. 
Samuel  Lockhart,  j 

W.  D.  Aylett,  and  Osmer.  J 

Now  comes  W.  A.  It  ibertson,  Att'y  for  Pl'tiff,  and  files  the 
Plaintiff's  complaint  in  this  case,  i.i  which  Pl'tiff  claims  that 
Def  'ts  are  indebted  to  him  in  the  sum  of  nine  hundred  and  ten 
and  GJ-100  dollars,  and  Pl'tiff  also  filed  his  undertaking,  with 
securities,  and  an  affidavit  for  a  writ  of  attachment.  Summ  ms 
and  attachment  issued  and  were  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
Sheriff  for  service. 

May  20th.  Summons  returned  by  She'ff,  having  been  served 
May  5th,  1852,  on  two  of  Def 'ts,  Samuel  Lockhart  and  VV.  D. 
Aylett;  and  attachment  returned  same  day — property  havingbeen 
levied  upon.  See  endorsement  on  writ  for  description  of  property 
attached. 

May  20. — And  now  come  Conk  &  Cosby,  Atty's  for  Def'ts, 
and  file  their  demurrer  to  Pl'tff's  complaint. 

May  20. — And  also  this  day  Def  'ts  Atiy's,  andmove  the  Court 
to  discharge  the  attachment  of  the  Pl't'tf  in  this  case.  See  mo- 
tion on  file. 

May  22.— And  this  day  come  Cook  &  Cosby,  Att'ys  for  defend- 
ants, and  file  their  answer  to  Plaintiff's  complaint. 

The  regular  election  for  district  judges  occurred 
on  the  second  of  November,  1852,  and  Hon.  William 
A.  Robertson,  county  judge  of  this  county,  became 
a  candidate  in  the  Ninth  district.  His  proclama- 
tion appears  below,  in  the  history  of  the  County 
Court. 


By  the  Act  of  May  19,  1853,  and  before  any  term 
of  court  had  been  he'd  in  this  county,  Siskiyou  was 
made  a  part  of  the  Eighth  district,  with  Humboldt 
and  Klamath  counties,  of  which  district  Hon.  J. 
Montgomery  Peters  had  been  chosen  judge  at  the 
previous  November  election. 

The  Judicial  Act  of  May  15, 1854,  made  no  altera- 
tion in  the  Eighth  district,  which  remained  the 
same  until  18G3. 

The  first  reo-ular  term  of  court  was  not  held  until 

o 

August,  1853,  more  than  a  year  after  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  county.  The  following  is  a  transciipt  of 
the  record : — 

minutes   of   the  district  court,  eighth  judicial    district, 

august  term,  a.  d.  1853.     begun  and  held  at  yreka  city, 

siskiyou  county,  cal. 
State  of  California,  [ 

County  of  Siskiyou.  \ 

And  now,  on  the  first  Monday  of  August,  A.  D.,  1S53,  beingthe 
time  appointed  fur  a  term  of  the  District  Court  to  be  holdeu  iu 
said  county,  by  "  An  Act  to  fix  the  times  for  holding  the  terms  of 
the  District  Court  throughout  this  State — approved  May  18, 
1853,"  C'imes  Honorable  Joseph  Montgomery  Peters  and  presents 
a  certified  copy  of  his  commission  from  Ins  Excellency,  John  Big- 
ler,  Governor  of  the  State  of  California,  commissioning  him  ;.s 
Jud^'e  of  Eighth  Judicial  District  of  said  State,  which  is  in  the 
letters  and  figures  following,  to  wit  : — 

THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA, 
To  All  to  Whom  These  Presents  Shall  Come,  Greeting — 

Know  ye  that,  whereas  Joseph  Montgomery  Peters,  on  the  sec- 
ond day  of  November,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  eighteen  hundred 
and  fifty-two,  was  duly  elected  Judge  of  the  Eighth  Judicial  Dis- 
trict ;  Now  therefore,  I,  John  Bigler,  Governor  of  the  State 
of  California,  do  by  these  presents  commission  the  said  Joseph 
Montgomery  Peters  a  Judge  of  said  district,  to  have  and  to  hold 
said  office,  with  all  the  powers,  privileges,  and  emoluments  to 
the  same  of  ri_,ht  appertaining  unto  him  the  said  Joseph  Mont- 
gomery Peters. 

In  testimony  whereof  I  have  caused  the  Great  Seal  of  the  State 
of  California  to  be  hereunto  affixed. 

Given  under  my  hand  at  the  city  of  Vallejo,  the  first  day  of 
January,  iu  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  ihousand  eight  hundred  and 
fifty-three. 

Attest:  Wm.  Van  Voortiees,  .  John  Bigler. 

Secretary  of  State. 
[Great  Seal  of  State.] 

State  of  California,  / 
(.'ounty  of  Tri  lity.   , 

I,  Laurance  S.  Williams,  Clerk  of  the  District  Court  of  the 
Eighth  Judicial  District  in  and  for  the  county  of  Trinity,  do 
hereby  certify  that  the  abiveis  a  true  copy  of  the  original  record 
of  said  c  nirt  now  in  my  office. 

[Seal.]  In  witness  where  if  I  have  hereunto  set  my  band  and 
piivate  seal  (there  being  no  seal  of  office  provided)  the  27th  July, 
a.  ]>.,  1853.  Laurance  S.  Williams,  Di-trict  Clerk. 

And  the  said  Honorable  Joseph  Montgomery  Peters  thereupon 
directed  the  Sheriff  to  proclaim  the  court  open  for  business; 
whereupon  it  was  so  done  by  D    D.  Colton,  acting  Under  Sheriff. 

And  now  comes  William  A.  Robertson,  Elijah  Steele,  John  D. 
Cosby  and  K.  B.  Suelling,  and  each  hiving  filed  his  affidavit  in 
manner  and  form,  and  s-tting  forth  the  requisite  facts,  as  re- 
reipiired  by  the  statutes  in  regard  to  the  admission  of  Attorneys 
and  Counsellors  at  Law,  and  having  taken  the  constitutional  oath 
of  office;  it  is  ordered  by  the  court  that  they  and  each  of  them 
be,  and  they  are  hereby,  admitted  to  practice  in  this  court  as 
Attorneys  and  Counsellors  at  Law. 

When  the  constitutional  changes  were  made  in 
18G3,  Siskiyou,  with  Shasta  and  Trinity  counties, 
was  constituted  the  Ninth  Judicial  district,  by  Act 
of  April  25th,  and  so  remained  until  the  District 
Court  was  abolished  by  the  adoption  of  the  new 
constitution.  At  that  time  the  civil  jurisdiction 
was  raised  from  amounts  of  more  than  two  hundred 
dollars  to  three  hundred  dollars,  and  it  was  given 
the  exclusive  power  to  try  all  indictments  for  trea- 
son, misprision  of  treason,  murder,  and  manslaugh- 
ter, as  well  as  those  which  the  county  judge  was 
incapacitated    from    trying    by  reason   of  personal 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


83 


interest.  But  little  change  was  made  in  the  powers 
of  the  District  Court  after  1863.  A  district  judge 
had  the  authority  to  hold  court  in  any  district  in 
the  State,  when  so  reqested  by  the  judge  of  that  dis- 
trict, or  upon  designation  of  the  governor.  Tins 
privilege  was  but  once  exercised  in  this  county,  the 
September  term,  1801,  being  held  by  Hon.  E.  W. 
McKinstry,  of  the  Seventh  district,  by  request  of 
Hon.  William  P.  Daingerfield. 

On  account  of  the  difficulty  found  in  the  conduct 
of  legal  business  so  far  from  the  county  seat,  the 
Legislature,  in  1872,  authorized  the  district  iud 'e 
to  bold  a  term  of  court  in  July  of  each  year  at  Lake 
City,  in  Surprise  valley.  The  citizens  of  that  region 
were  seeking  to  have  a  new  county  organized,  and 
this  action  was  taken  as  a  measure  of  relief  to  them, 
until  the  foundation  of  a  new  county  could  be 
agreed  upon  and  effected.     Court  was  opened  there 


July    8,    1872,    and    adjourned    fr 


lay  to   day, 


awaiting  the  appearance  of  Hon.  A.  M.  Rosborough, 
the  judge.  Th.it  gentleman  arrived  on  the  eleventh, 
and  court  was  opened  for  business,  adjourning  on 
the  sixteenth.  The  next  year  the  term  in  Lake 
City  began  July  14,  and  ended  July  18,  1873.  This 
is  one  of  the  few  instances  in  the  State  of  court 
being  held  away  from  the  county  seat.  Modoc 
county  was  formed  in  1874. 

By  the  new  constitution,  which  went  into  effect 
on  the  first  of  January,  1880,  the  District  Court  was 
abolished,  and  all  its  powers  were  conferred  upon 
the  Superior  Court,  a  new  tribunal  created  by  that 
instrument.  The  final  record  of  t'.ie  District  Court 
of  the  Ninth  judicial  district,  in  and  for  Siskiyou 
county,  made  on  the  last  day  of  its  existence  as  a 
judicial  tribunal,  is  as  follows  : — 

State  of  California, 

County  of  Siskiyou. 

Wednesday,  December  31st,  1879. 

At  a  regular  term  of  the  Hun.  District  Court  of  the  Ninth 
Judicial  Districi  of  the  State  of  California,  conti  'ued,  and  held 
within  and  for  said  county,  at  Yreka  City,  the  county  seat 
thereof,  on  Wednesday,  Dec.  31st,  A.  D.  lo79,  Court  met  pur- 
suant to  adjournment,  and  was  duly  called  hy  the 'Sheriff.  The 
following  order  having  been  received  from  H  n.  A.  M.  Ros- 
borough,  District  Judge,  the  Court  is  adjourned  iu  accordance 
therewith,  to  wit: — 

It  is  hereby  ordered,  in  accordance  with  third  secti  m  of  the 
twenty-second  article  c  f  the  New  Constitution  of  the  State  of 
California,  that  all  record-:,  books,  papers  and  pr  ceedings  now 
remaining  in  the  District  Court,  held  in  and  for  .Siskiyou  count*', 
undisposed  of,  be  transferred  on  the  first  day  of  January,  eight- 
een hundred  and  eighty  to  the  Superior  Court  of  Siskiyou  county, 
and  in  the  language  of  said  section  of  said  Constitution,  "the 
said  Superior  Court,  to  which  ihe  same  are  thus  tran-f  rred,  shall 
have  the  same  power  and  jurisdiction  over  them  as  if  they  h  d 
been  in  the  first  instance  c  unmenced,  filed  and  lodged  therein." 

It   is   further  ordered  that   ihe   District  Court  of  the  Ninth 
Judicial  District  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  adjourned  sine  die. 
A.   M.  Rosbokough,  District  Judge. 

Attest:  Joseph  Rice,  Clerk. 

By  J.  AI.  Davidson,  Deputy. 

The  following  gentlemen  held  the  position  of 
judge  of  the  District  Court  in  and  for  Siskiyou 
county  : — 

Hon.  W.  S.  Sherwood,  Ninth  district,  1852. 

Hon.  George  A.  Smith,  Ninth  district.  1852-53. 

Hon.  J.  Montgomery  Peters,  Eighth  district, 
1853-58. 

Hon.  William  P.  Daingerfield,  Eighth  district, 
1858-64. 

Hon.  E.  Garter,  Ninth  district,  1864-70. 

Hon.  A.  M.  Rosborough,  Ninth  district,  1870-80. 


COUNTY   COURT. 

The  County  Court  was  held  by  the  county  judge, 
whose  term  of  office  was  fixed  by  the  constitution 
at  four  years.  An  appeal  lay  to  this  court  in  civil 
cases  from  a  justice  of  the  peace.  The  business 
transacted  prior  to  1863  was  very  small,  but  at 
that  time  it  was  given  jurisdiction  of  cases  in  forci- 
ble entry  and  detainer,  and  the  criminal  jurisdic- 
tion theretofore  exercised  by  the  Court  of  Sessions 
was  conferred  upon  it.  Thereafter  it  had  the  power 
to  inquire  into  criminal  offenses  by  means  of  a 
grand  jury,  and  try  all  indictments  except  those 
for  treason,  misprision  of  treason,  murder  and  man- 
slaughter, which  indictments  were  certified  to  the 
District  Con  it  for  trial. 

At  the  first  election,  held  on  the  third  of  May, 
1852,  Hon.  William  A.Robertson  was  chosen  county 
judge.  He  took  the  oath  of  office  before  Charles 
M.  Tutt,  president  of  the  board  of  commissioners 
to  organize  Siskiyou  county,  on  the  twelfth  of  May, 
and  two  days  laier  male  the  first  entry  on  his 
record  as  follows: — 

In  Vacation,  County  Court  of  Siskiyou  county,  May  14th, 
1S52. 

It  is  hereby  ordered  that  an  election  for  two  Justices  of  the 
Peace  and  one  Constable  for  Shasta  Butte  City  Township,  and 
two  Justices  of  the  Peace  and  two  Constables  to  fill  the  vacancies 
in  said  unices  be  held  at  the  respective  election  precincts  of  said 
townships  on  Saturday,  the  2i)tn  of  May,  1852,  between  the  hour 
of  8  o'clock,  A.  M..,  and  suiisjt  of  the  same  day;  and  that  a  c>.py 
of  tliij  order  be  posted  at  the  several  precinct;,  aforesaid,  at  least 
tea  days  previous  to  said  election. 

Given  under  my  hand  at  Wyreka  City,  the  14th  day  of  May, 
a.  d.  loo  2. 

W.  A.  Robertson,  County  Judge. 

Filed  May  14th,  1852,  for  record. 

The  next  entry  on  the  record  was  also  an  order 
for  a  local  election  in  the  newly  created  township 
of  Humbug,  as  follows: — 

In  Vacation,  County  Court  of  Siskiyou  county,  June  Sth, 
1S52. 

It  is  hereby  ordered  that  an  election  for  two  Justices  of  the 
Peace  and  tvvo  Constables  for  the  Townsh  p  of  Humbug  be  held 
at  the  usual  election  precincts  of  said  township,  on  Saturday, 
the  26th  of  June,  1S52,  between  the  hour  of  8  o'clock,  A.  M.,  and 
sun-down  of  the  same  day,  and  that  a  copy  of  this  order  be 
posted  at  tire  precincts  aforesaid  at  least  ten  days  previous  to 
said  election. 

Given  under  my  hand  at  Wyreka  City  this  5th  day  of  June, 
1S52. 

W.  A.  Robertson,  County  Judge  of  said  County. 

Filed  for  record  June  5th,  A.  D.  1852. 

The  regular  election  for  district  judges  occurring 
in  November,  1852,  Judge  Robertson  became  a  can- 
didate, and  issued  the  following  somewhat  peculiar 
election  proclamation,  which  appears  on  the  record 
of  the  County  Court,  dated  October  13,  1852: — 

County  of  Siskiyou,  ) 

State  of  Cainornia.  j 

PUBLIC  NOTICE. 

The  qualified  voters  of  Siskiyou  county  are  hereby  notified 
that  a  geuer.d  elect  on,  in  pursuance  of  the  above  proclamation, 
will  be  held  at  the  different  precincts  in  this  county  on  Tuesday 
the  —  day  of  November,  A.  D  ,  1852,  to  fill  the  offices  specified  in 
said  proclamation  together  with  the  following  township  and 
county  officers,  viz.:  Public  Administrator,  one  Justice  of 
the  Peace  and  one  Constable  for  Scott's  Bar  Township,  two 
Justices  of  the  Peace  and  two  Constables  for  Humbug  Township, 
one  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  one  Constable  for  Scott  Valley 
Township,  two  Justices  of  the  Peace  and  Wo  Constables  lor 
Yreka  (City)  Township. 

In  consixjiunce  of  ihe  undersigned  being  a  candidate  for  the 
office  of  District  Judge,  he  declines  appuuti  ig  Inspectors  and 
Judges  of  Election.  The  qualified  voters,  therefore,  at  each 
precinct,    will  meet;   at  eight   o'clock  in  the  morning  and  choose 


84 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


from  amontr  their  number  one  person  to  act  as  Inspector  and  two 
persons  to  act  as  Judges  of  Election.  The  Judges  and  Inspectors 
in  ill  then  appoint  two  suitable  persons  to  act  as  Clerks. 

W.  A.  Robertson,  County  Judge. 

ELECTION  PROCLAMATION. 

At  a  general  election  to  be  holden  throughout  the  State  of 
California  on  Tuesday,  the  second  day  of  November,  1852,  the 
following  officers  are  to  be  elected : — 

Four  Electors  for  President  aud  Vice-President. 

Two  Members  of  Congress. 

Two  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

One  Clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

One   District  Judge  for  each  of  the  Judicial  Districts  m  the 
State,  and  one  Member  of  the  Assembly  for  Siskiyou  county. 
*  *  *  *  *  *         *   ,     *         *         *         *         * 

Given  under  my  hand  and  the  Great  Seal  of  the  State  at 
Vallejo,  this  28th  day  of  September,  A.  D.  1852. 

John  Bigler,  Governor. 
Attest:     W.  Van  Voorhees,  Secretary  of  S tate. 
Filed  for  record  October  13,  1852. 

H.  G.  Ferris,  Clerk. 

From  the  tenth  of  June,  1852,  to  the  seventh  of 
March,  1853,  are  entered  upon  the  record  fifteen 
declarations  of  intention  to  become  citizens  of  the 
United  States;  also  on  January  26,  1853,  an  order 
for  the  election  of  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Yreka 
township,  to  be  held  on  the  fifth  of  the  following 
February;  also  a  habeas  corp us  case  on  petition  of 
S.  N.  Holmes,  held  for  grand  larceny,  January  27, 
1853.  Judge  Robertson,  failing  to  be  elected  dis- 
trict judge,  opened  the  first  regular  term  of  the 
County  Court  on  the  seventh  of  March,  1S53,  the 
following  being  the  record: — 

State  of  California, 

County  of  Siskiyou. 

March  7th,  A.  d.  1S53,  being  the  first  Monday  of  March,  the 
time  appointed  by  law  or  a  regular  term  of  the  County  Court, 
the  Court  convened  at  the  office  of  the  County  Clerk.  Pr  >c!ara> 
tioii  was  made  and  Court  opened  iu  due  form.  Present,  William 
A.  Robertson,  County  Judge  ;  H.  G.  Ferris,  County  Clerk  ;  and 
D.  D.  Colton,  Under  Sheriff. 

The  first  case  on  the  docket  is  that  of  "  Theodore 
F.  Rowe  vs.  Grove  K.  and  Helen  Go  If  rev,"  an  ap- 
peal from  the  docket  of  Justice  J.  D.  Mason,  of 
Scott  River  township,  which  was  dismissed  at  the 
request  of  appellant. 

Immediately  after  the  March  term  Judge  Robert- 
son resigned  and  Hon.  Royal  L.  Westbrook  received 
an  appointment  from  the  governor  to  fill  the 
vacancy,  assuming  the  position  in  May.  The  ap- 
pointment only  extended  until  the  next  general 
election,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  "was 
elected  to  the  office.  The  full  term  of  a  county 
judge  was  four  years,  and  it  was  assumed  that  Jud^e 
Westbrook  would  hold  the  office  until  his  successor 
was  chosen  in  1857,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
the  regular  election  for  county  judges  occurred  in 
1855.  Acting  upon  this  supposition  the  supervisors 
failed  to  call  an  election  for  county  judge  in  1855, 
but  when  election  day  arrived  the  friends  of  Hon. 
A.  M.  Rosborough  went  quietly  to  work  writing  his 
name  on  ballots  in  a  few  precincts,  of  which  two 
hundred  and  eighty-seven  were  cast,  in  a  total  vote 
of  over  three  thousand.  The  result  was  a  contest, 
ending  in  the  office  being  given  to  Judge  Rosborough, 
who  held  it  continuously  until  he  was  elected  dis- 
trict judge  in  1869.  In  1857  votes  were  cast  for 
Judge  Westbrook  for  this  office,  but  the  effort  was 
of  no  effect.  Hon.  William  McConaughy  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  office  January  0,  1870,  when  Judge 
Rosborough  resigned  to  become  district  judge,  and 
in  1871   Hon.  Edwin  Shearer  was  elected,  iToldino- 


the  position  until   the  court   was  abolished  by  the 
new  constitution,  January  1,  1880. 

The  final  record  of  the  County  Court  is  as  follows: 

State  op  California,  j 
County  of  JSiskiyuii.  j 

Wednesday,  Dec.  31st,  1S79. 

At  a  regular  term  of  the  Hon.  County  Court,  continued  and 
held  within  a  id  for  said  county,  at  Yreka  City,  the  comity  seat 
thereof,  on  Wednesday,  Dec.  31st,  187t>,  Court  met  pursuant  to 
adjournment  aud  was  duly  called  by  the  Sheriff.     Present,  Hon. 

Elward  Shearer,  County  Judge,  and  officers  of  the  Court. 

********* 

Ordered  by  the  Court  that  all  cases  now  pending  therein  be 
transferred  to  the  Superior  Court  of  the  State  of  California,  held 
in  and  for  the  county  of  Siskiyou,  and  that  the  County  Court  of 
said  State  in  and  f  jr  said  county,  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby,  ad- 
journed nine  die. 

Edwin  Shearer,  County  Judge- 

The  Judges  of  the  County  Court  were: — 
Hon.  William  A.  Robertson,  1852-53. 
Hon.  Royal  L.  Westbrook,  1853-55. 
Hon.  A.  M.  Rosborough,  1855-70. 
Hon.  William  McConaughy,  1870-71. 
Hoi-  Edwin  Shearer,  1871-80. 

PROBATE  COURT. 

The  jurisdiction  of  this  court  embraced  all  probate 
matters,  the  court  bjing  held  by  the  county  judge. 
At  first  issues  of  fact  joinel  in  this  court  were 
a  ljourned  into  the  District  Court  for  trial,  but 
afterwards  the  Legislature  conferred  upon  it  the 
power  to  summon  juries  and  try  all  issues  of  fact. 
There  was  but  little  alteration  made  in  the  powers 
of  this  court,  which  ceased  to  exist  when  the  new 
constitution  took  effect. 

The  first  and  last  entries  on  the  docket  are  as 
follows: — 

Pr  bate  Court,      ) 

Siskiyou  Couuty.  f 

In  Vacation,  June  14th,  1S52. 

It  is  ordered  tint  E.  D.  Pearce,  of  Siskiyou  County,  be  ap- 
pointed special  Administrator  up  m  the  est  .te  of  Mahlon  Lewis, 
of  Humbug  creek,  deceased;  and  that  said  E.  D.  Pearce  be 
authorized  and  entrusted  t  >  collect  and  preserve  for  the  Admin- 
istrator, who' may  hereafter  be  app  dated,  all  the  go  ids,  chattels, 
debts  an  1  effects  of  the  deceased,  aid  take  the  sane  into  his 
possession,  c  ire  and  control,  subject  to  such  order  as  the  Probate 
Court  m  .y  from  time  to  time  make  in  regard  thereto;  that  Said 
E.  D.  Pea-ce  be  notified  of  his  appointment,  and  that  he  be 
required  to  enter  into  bonds  iu  the  sum  of  li  e  thousand  dollars. 

E.  D.  Pearce  notiried  by  written  communication  from  Clerk 
at  this  date,  June,  lith.  B  -nd  filed  and  letters  of  special 
administration  issued  to  E.  D.  Pearce,  Esq. 

June  '/8th,   1652    ibjiug  the   fourth   Monday  of  June),   there 
being  no   business  for   the  Probate  Court  it  did  not  meet  at  tnis 
term. 
State   of  California  ) 

County  of  Siskiyou,   f 

Wednesday,  Dec.  31st  1S79. 

In  open  Probate  Court,  Edwin  Shearer,  Probate  Judge,  pre- 
siding. 

Ordered  by  the  Court  that  all  cases  now  pending  therein  be 
transferred  to  the  Superior  Court  of  the  State  of  California,  held 
in  and  for  the  county  of  Siskiyou;  and  the  Probate  Court  of 
said  couuty  is  hereby  adjourned  sine  die. 

Edvvln  Shearer,  Probate  Judge. 

COURT  OF  SESSIONS. 

The  county  judge,  as  chief  justice,  and  two  jus- 
tices of  the  peace,  as  associate  justices,  composed  the 
Court  of  Sessions.  Annually  the  county  judge  con- 
vened the  justices  of  the  peace  of  the  county,  who 
selected  from  their  own  number  two  who  should 
act  as  associate  j  ustices  of  the  Court  of  Sessions  for 
the  ensuing  year.  In  case  of  a  vacancy  or  a  failure 
to  attend,  the  county  judge  appointed  another  jus- 
tice, and  as  this  frequently  occurred,  some  years  half 


^-t^4^?0 


J.  S.  BEARD. 

J.  S.  Beard  is  a  native  of  Northumberland  count}', 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  eldest  son  of  a  family  of  five 
sons  and  three  daughters.  His  father,  James  Beard, 
was  born  in  Clark  county,  Ohio,  and  his  mother, — 
Susan  M.  Gehrig, — in  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania. 
His  boyhood  days  were  passed  amid  the  scenes  and 
busy  life  of  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Susquehanna. 
He  received  the  education  afforded  by  the  common 
schools  and  private  academies  of  that  locality.  In 
1853  he  became  a  member  of  a  corps  of  civil  engi- 
neers, and  for  about  two  years  was  employed,  under 
Hon.  Kimber  Clever,  on  the  survey  and  construction 
of  the  Shamokin  Valley  railroad.  He  quit  this 
employment  to  accept  a  deputyship  under  his  father, 
who  then  held  the  office  of  prothonotary  of  North- 
umberland county.  During  the  time  he  was  em- 
ployed in  this  office  he  studied  law,  and  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  in  April,  1857.  For  a  short  time  he 
practiced  law  in  his  native  countj^  and  adjoining- 
districts,  then  bade  adieu  to  kindred,  friends,  and 
home,  and  started  westward.  Once  on  the  wino\  he 
did  not  find  a  permanent  resting  place  until°the 
shores  of  the  Pacific  were  reached.  He  arrived  in 
California  in  1859,  and,  being  then  young,  hopeful 
and  ambitious  at  once  sought  the  fortune  which  he 
supposed  awaited  him.  Failing  to  secure  a  satisfac- 
tory business  in  the  practice  of  law,  he  shelved  his 
books  and  went  to  work  as  "  an  honest  miner." 
After  much  tramping,  toil,  and  disappointment,  he 
abandoned  mining  for  other  pursuits.  In  1864  Mr. 
Beard  re-engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  at 
Yreka,  and  for  a  year  was  associated  in  business 
with  L.  M.  Ketcham,  now  deceased.  The  business 
of  this  place  was  not  sufficient  to  support  the  army 
of  attorneys  then  engaged  in  practice,  hence  the 
subject  of  our  sketch  again  quit  the  law,  and  became 


) 

connected  with  our  common  schools  as  teacher,  and 
thereafter  taught  school  in  the  Humbug,  Hawkins- 
ville,  Union,  and  Etna  districts.  In  1872  he  opened 
a  law  office  in  Etna,  where  he  is  now  permanently 
located,  and  well  established  in  business.  July  12, 
1874,  he  married  Miss  Annie  Webster  Ackley,  eldest 
daughter  of  Hosea  and  Nancy  Ackley,  who  came 
to  Scott  valley  in  1864,  from  East  Rumford,  Maine. 
The  issue  of  this  marriage  has  been  four  children, 
two  boys  and  two  girls,  three  of  whom,  Annie  Ack- 
ley, John  Augustus,  and  James  Gehrig,  are  now  liv- 
ing. In  early  manhood  he  espoused  the  principles  of 
the  Democratic  party,  but  in  1864,  becoming  dissat- 
isfied with  the  course  and  policy  of  that  party,  went 
over  to  the  ranks  of  the  Republicans,  and  took  the 
stump  in  advocacy  of  the  election  of  their  nominee 
for  the  presidency.  And  since  then  he  has  with  his 
voice  and  pen  supported  and  advocated  Republican 
principles.  For  many  years  he  has  been  identified 
with,  and  labored  for  the  advancement  of  the  public 
schools  of  the  county,  and  is  now  president  of  the 
County  Board  of  Education.  In  1857  he  was  initi- 
ated into  the  mysteries  and  beauties  of  Odd  Fellow- 
ship, and  is  one  of  the  charter  members  of  Etna 
Lodge,  No.  184,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
He  is  also  a  charter  member  of  Etna  Lodge  No. 
177,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  He  is 
most  public  spirited,  and  every  movement  made 
in  the  interest  of  the  people,  or  to  benefit  the 
masses,  receives  his  hearty  support.  He  has  been 
identified  with  every  enterprise  of  a  public,  or  quasi 
public  character  undertaken  or  accomplished  in  Etna 
and  vicinity  since  he  has  made  that  place  his  home. 
He  loves  the  quiet  of  home  life,  and  finds  delight  in 
the  society  and  companionship  of  his  family  and 
friends,  and  as  a  lawyer,  a  man,  and  a  citizen,  com- 
mands the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  classes. 


rr 

o 

Ld 

j» 

■z 

u 

5 

<t 

r^ 

$ 

JT' 

n 

6 

< 

(5 

<i 

a 

u. 

a 

3= 

2 
a: 

^ 
3 

sr 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


85 


a  dozen  gentlemen  occupied  the-  position.  The 
duties  of  this  court  at  first  were  chiefly  to  adminis- 
ter the  affairs  of  the  county,  a  function  now  dis- 
charged by  a  board  of  supervisors.  In  18.31  a  radi- 
cal change  was  made  in  the  powers  of  this  court  by 
conferring  upon  it  the  criminal  jurisdiction  previ- 
ously exercised  by  the  District  Court.  It  ha  1  the 
power  to  inquire  into  all  criminal  offenses  by  means 
of  a  grand  jury,  and  to  try  all  indictments  found 
by  that  body,  save  those  for  murder,  manslaughter, 
and  arson,  which  were  certified  to  the  District  Court. 
In  1855  the  Legislature  created  boards  of  supervisors 
in  the  various  counties,  leaving  to  the  Court  of  Ses- 
sions  only  its  criminal  jurisdiction.  In  18G3  the 
court  was  abolished  and  its  powers  were  conferred 
upon  the  County  Court. 

The  following  transcripts  from  the  record  of  this 
court  show  its  beginning  and  end  : — 

RECORDS  OF  THE  COURT  OF  SESSIONS  OF  SISKIYOU  CO.,  CAL. 

On  this  seventh  day  of  June,  A.  D.  1S52,  at  10  o'clock  A.  M., 
the  Hon.  Court  of  Sessions  in  and  for  Siskiyou  county,  Califor- 
nia, met  at  the  c  >urt  house  in  Yre'.c.i  City,  1 1  hold  its  first  term. 
Present,  Hon.  W.  A.  Robertson,  County  Judge;  James  Straw- 
bridge  and  William  A.  Patterson,  Justices  of  the  Peace,  called 
to  the  bench  to  act  as  Associ  de  Justices. 

The  District  Attorney  inf  jrm  ;d  the  Court  that  there  was  no 
criminal  or  appeal  business  for  its  consideration. 

J.  D.  Cosby  and  Thomas  H.  Coats,  Esi-i.,  cams  forward,  and 
each  filed  his  affidavit,  took  the  oath  of  office,  and  was  admitted 
to  practice  as  an  attorney  at  law  in  th  s  Court. 

0.1  app  ication  of  Edward  De  Witt  for  a  license  to  keep  a 
ferry  at  the  crossing  of  the  road  from  this  place  to  Oregon,  on 
the  Klamath  river,  Justice  StrawbriJge  declined  acting  as  one 
of  the  Judges,  in  consequence  of  having  on  a  former  occasion 
been  employed  as  an  attorney  in  the  case  of  the  petitioner,  Ed. 
De  Wibc. 

After  consideration  of  the  petition  of  Geo.  W.  Tyler  to  be  ap- 
pointed auctioneer,  the  Court  ordered  that  it  be  granted;  where- 
upon he  presented  his  bond  for  the  approval  of  the  Court,  and 
ic  was  approved. 

Ordered  by  the  Court  that  the  County  Assessor  of  this  county 
be  authorized  and  required  t  >  assess  tax  for  county  purposes,  at 
the  rate  of  fifty  cents  for  each  one  hundred  dollars  of  all  taxable 
property  in  this  county. 

After  oonsidernti  in  of  A.  Vallard  to  be  appointed  auctioneer, 
the  Court  ordered  that  s  dd  petition  be  gr  in  ted;  whereupon  he 
presented  his  bond,  and  it  was  approved  l>y  tlie  Court. 

W.   A.  ROBERTSON,  Presiding  Judge. 

State  of  C  vlifornia,  I  „      ,        xr       ,_,,     ,_.„ 

County  of  Siskiyou!  [  Tuesday,  Nov.  17th.  1863. 

At  a  regul  ir  term  of  the  Hon.  Court  of  Sessions,  continued 
and  held  within  and  for  said  county,  at  Yreka  City,  the  county 
seat  thereof,  on  Tuesday,  Nov.  17th,  A.  D.  1863,  Court  met  pur- 
suant to  adj  nirnine.it,  and  was  duly  called  by  the  Sheriff.  Pres- 
ent, Hon.  A  M.  Koshorough,  County  Judge  and  Presidi  ig  Judge 
of  the  Court  of  Sessions,  and  E.  W.  Potter  and  D.  0.  Stevens, 
Esq's  ,  Associate  Justices,  and  the  officers  of  the  Court. 

The  People  of  the  State  cf  California,  ) 
vs.  [- 

William.  C  Kirby.  ) 

This  being  the  time  set  by  the  Court  for  pronouncing  its  judg- 
ment in  the  case,  F.  E.  Ensign,  Dist.  Atty.,  being  present,  the 
defendant,  Win.  C.  Kirby,  not  appearing ;  whereupon  it  is 
ordered  by  the  Court  that  the  defendant,  Win.  C.  Kirby,  pay  a 
fine  of  one  hundred  dollars,  and  that  execution  may  issue 
therefor. 

Ordered  that  the  Court  of  Sessions  in  and  for  the  County  of 
Siskiyou,  and  St^te  of  California  do  now  adjouru  sine  die. 

A.  M.  Rosborough,  Presiding  Judge. 

OFFICERS  OF  THE  COURT  OF  SESSIONS. 


COUNTY  JUDGE. 


1852 — William  A.  Robertson. 


ASSOCIATE  JUSTICES. 

James  Strawbridge, 
W.  A.  Patterson,  ' 
G.ove  K.  Godfrey, 
J.  M.  E  a, 
J.  D.  Mason. 


1853- 


William  A.  Robertson. 


Royal  L.  Westbrook. 


1854 — Royal  L.  Westbrook. 


1855 — Royal  L.  Westbrook. 


1856— A.  M.  Rosborough. 


1857— A.  M.  Rosborou:rh. 


185S— A.  M.  Rosborough. 


J.  D.  Mason, 
Pembroke  Murra}', 
J.  M.  Ela, 
Hovvland  Smith, 
G.  A.  K.  Orton, 
J.  W.  Dunn. 

Howland  Smith, 
Pembroke  Murray, 
G.  A.  K.  Orton, 
Samuel  E.  Peacock, 
J.  L.  M  cGownd, 
J.  G.  Berry. 

George  P.  Porter, 
J.  L.  McGownd, 
George  H.  Coe, 
George  Waterman, 
C.  A.  Ferguson. 

George  Waterman, 
C.  A.  Ferguson, 
E.  S.  Mowry, 
L.  M.  Hazhett, 
E.  M.  Anthony. 

S.  C.  Horsley, 
E.  M.  Anthony, 
George  W.  Pierson, 
Henry  Nichols. 

R.  S.  Green, 
G  '.orge  W.  Pierson, 
Henry  Nichols, 
E.  W.  Potter. 

E.  W.  Potter, 
George  W.  Pierson, 
R.  S.  Green, 
L.  S.  Wilson, 
Joseph  Miller. 

L.  S.  Wilson, 
Joseph  Miller. 

E.  W.  Potter, 
W.  W.  BYman, 

James  Searcy, 
0.  Smiley, 
Thomas  A.  Bantz. 

E.  W.  Potter, 
O.  Smiley, 
Thomas  A.  Bantz. 

E.  W.  Potter, 

S.  M.  Farren, 

*  D.  C.  Stevens. 

The  first  grand  jury  in  the  county  was  summoned 
by  the  Court  of  Sessions  on  the  fifth  of  October,  1852, 
and  was  composed  of  the  following  gentlemen  :  Dr. 
W.  G.  Proctor,  foreman,  0.  D.  Hoxie,  John  Lintell, 
N.  Garland,  Dr.  William  Dain,  Dr.  D.  M.  Davidson, 
R.  B.  Hendv,  B.  W.  Arnold,  George  Waterman,  R. 
L.  Westbrook,  C.  N.  Thornbury,  E.  C.  Kelley,  Wil- 
liam Johnson,  H.  Vanderpool,  IsaaT  M.  Lusk,  Theo- 
dore  F.   Rowe,  D.  E.  Shiel,  B.  F.  Varney,  R.  M. 


1853— A.  M.  Rosborouo-h. 


1863— A.  M.  Rosborough. 


1881— A.  M.  Rosborough. 


1862— A.  M.  Rosborough. 


1863— A.  M.  Rosborough. 


86 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


Martin,  Henry  Bowman,  Hugh  Slicer,  George  E. 
Briggs  and  W.  S.  Mendenhall.  There  were  twenty- 
four  gentlemen  summoned,  but  John  F.  Farmer  was 
excused,  there  being  one  too  many.  Two  indict- 
ments for  grand  larceny  were  presented  by  this 
body. 

SUPERIOR  COURT. 

By  the  new  constitution  the  powers  of  the  District, 
County  and  Probate  Courts  were  combined  and  vested 
in  one  tribunal,  called  the  Superior  Court.  There  are 
twelve  judges  of  the  Superior  Court  in  the  city  and 
county  of  San  Francisco,  two  in  each  of  the  counties 
ot  Sacramento,  San  Joaquin,  Los  Angeles,  Sonoma, 
S  mta  Clara  and  Alameda,  one  in  the  counties  of 
Yuba  and  Sutter  combined,  and  one  in  each  of  the 
other  counties  in  the  State.  The  term  of  office  is 
six  years.  There  are  no  set  times  for  holding  terms 
of  court,  but  the  judge  is  compelled  to  attend  from 
day  to  day,  the  court  being  always  open  for  legal 
business  during  the  day.  A  number  of  other  pio- 
visions  intended  to  facilitate  the  transaction  of  busi- 
ness are  in  the  constitution,  one  of  which  is  that  a 
judge  cannot  receive  his  salary  if  there  remains  a 
case  undecided  that  has  been  submitted  to  him  for 
ninety  days. 

At  the  election  in  September,  1879,  Hon.  Elijah 
Steele  was  chosen  judge  of  the  Superior  Court,  and 
opened  his  court  on  the  fifth  of  January,  18.50,  the 
following  being  the  record; — 

State  of  California,  ) 
County  of  Siskiyou,  j 

Monday,  January  5th,  1880. 
At  a  regular  term  of  the  Hon.  Superior  Court,  begun  and  held 
within  and  for  said  county,  at  Yreka  City,  the  county  seat 
thereof,  on  Monday,  January  5th,  1SS0,  Court  met  pursuant  to 
statute  and  was  duly  announced  bv  the  Sherilf.  Present,  Hon. 
E.  Steele,  Superior  Judge,  and  the  officers  of  the  Court. 
STATE  OF  CALIFORN  A,  EXECUTIVE  DEPARTMENT. 

To  all  to  whom  these  presents  shall  come,  greeting:  Know  ye, 
That  whereas  it  appears  from  the  statement  of  the  vote  made  by 
the  Secretary  of  State  and  filed  in  his  office,  a  copy  of  which  has 
been  transmitted  to  this  office,  th  .t  at  the  general  election  held 
on  Wednesday,  the  third  day  of  September,  A.  D.,  187d,  in  the 
county  of  Siskiyou,  Elijah  Steel  received  the  highest  number  of 
votes  cast  for  the  office  of  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  the 
County  of  Siskiyou,  State  of  California! 

Now,  therefore,  I,  William  Irwin,  Governor  of  the  State  of 
California,  in  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of  the  people  of  the 
State  of  Calif. irnia.  do  commission  him,  the  said  E.ijah  Steele, 
Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  the  county  of  Siskiyou  aforesaid, 
for  the  term  of  five  years,  from  the  fifth  day  of  January,  1880. 

In  testimony  whereof,  1  have  hereunto  set  my  hand,  and  caused 
the  great  seal  of  the  State  to  be  affixed  hereunto,  at  the  City  of 
Sacramento,  California,  this  first  day  of  November,  in  the  year 
of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy-ni.ie. 

William  Irwin,  Governor. 

By  the  Governor,  Thomas  Beck,  Secretary  of  State. 
[Great  Seal] 

State  of  California,  ) 

County  of  Siskiyou,  j  ss' 

I,  Elijah  Steele,  do  solemnly  swear  that  I  will  support  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  the  Constituti  >n  of  the 
State  of  California,  and  that  I  will  faithfuty  discharge  the  duties 
of  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  in  and  for  the  county  of  Siskiyou, 
State  of  California,  to  the  best  of  my  ability. 

Elijah  Steele. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  fifth  day  of  January, 
A.  D.  1880.  Attest  my  hand  and  official  seal  at  Yreka,  Siskiyou 
county,  California. 

uEAL-e.   c  Joseph  Bice,  County  Clerk. 

Hon.  E.  Steele,  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court,  first  proceeded  to 
adopt  a  seal  for  the  same,  the  description  of  which  is  a  follows 
to  wit : 

Said  seal  to  be  lettered  around  the  vignette,  "Superior  Court 
Siskiyou  Co.  Cal."  Thevi0nette  con.-istiug  of  Mount  Shasta 
and  the  Black  Butte,  with  a  foreground  ot  trees  and  shrubs 
with  a  lake  towards  the  center  thereof,  and  perched  upon  the 
pinnacle  of  the  highest  peak  of  Mt.  Shasta,  is  the  Goddess   of 


Justice  holding  the  Balances  of   Tquity,    with   which   to   weigh 
correctly  all  questions  which  may  be  presented  to  the  C'Urt. 

The  impression  made  upon  the  left  hand 

margin  of  this  p  ige  is  the  impression  of  the 

[seal]  seal  Hereby  and  this  day   adopted   for  the 

Supjrior  Court  of  the  County  of  Siskiyou, 

State  of  Ca.ifornia. 

The  Hon.  E.  Steele,  superior  judge,  then  read  a 
salutatory  address  to  the  bar  and  officers  of  the 
court. 

The  calendar  of  the  court  was  then  duly  called. 

JUSTICE    COURT. 

A  Justice  Court  is  an  inferior  local  tribunal  for  the 
adjudication  of  minor  causes  and  the  preservation  of 
the  p^ace.  By  the  law  of  18-30  the  term  of  office 
of  a  justice  of  the  peace  was  rixed  at  one  year. 
Two  justices  were  allowed  to  each  township,  also 
two  constables,  the  offijers  who  serve  the  processes 
of  the  court.  The  juiisdiction  of  a  justice  extended 
to  the  limits  of  the  township  f.ir  which  he  was 
elected.  He  had  cognizance  of  actions  on  contract, 
for  damages,  and  to  recover  specific  property,  when 
the  amount  or  value  did  not  exceed  $200.  In  18.51 
his  powers  were  considerably  increased.  He  had 
jurisdiction  of  actions  to  recover  money,  for  damages 
to  personal  property,  for  fines,  penalties  and  forfeit- 
ures, actions  on  bonds,  enforcement  of  lien  on  personal 
property,  actions  to  recover  personal  property  and 
judgment  by  confession,  where  the  amount  in  all 
these  cases  did  not  exceed  $500,  and  on  a  bond  taken 
by  him  if  the  amount  did  exceed  that  sum,  cases 
of  forcible  entry  and  detainer,  and  the  trial  of  the 
right  of  mining  claims.  The  criminal  jurisdiction 
embraced  vagrancy,  disorder,  petty  larceny,  assault 
and  battery,  breaches  of  the  peace,  and  all  misde- 
meanors punishable  by  a  fine  of  not  more  than  $500 
and  not  more  than  one  year's  imprisonment.  In 
18G3  forcible  entry  and  detainer  cases  were  trans- 
ferred to  the  County  Court,  and  the  civil  jurisdiction 
was  reduced  to  amounts  not  exceeding  $300.  In 
1870  the  jurisdiction  of  cases  of  misdemeanor  was 
extended  to  fines  of  $1,000  and  imprisonment  for 
one  year,  but  in  1874  it  was  reduced  to  fines  of 
$500  and  six  months'  imprisonment.  In  18b'3  the 
term  of  office  of  justices  and  constables  was  in- 
creased to  two  years. 

The  justices  of  the  peace  and  constables  who 
have  held  office  in  the  various  townships  of  the 
county  are  given  below,  together  with  the  date  of 
qualifying.  The  location  and  extent  of  the  town- 
ships can  be  ascertained  in  the  chapter  entitled 
"Siskiyou  County  as  a  Political  Body." 

JUSTICES,    YREKA   TOWXSHIP. 

*James  Stravvbridge,  June  2,  1852. 
*Daniel  France,  June  2,  1852. 
Daniel  France,  November  14,  1852. 
James  P.  Goodale,  December  28,  1852. 
Pembroke  Murray,  February  3,  1853. 
S.imuel  E.  Peacock,  September  14,  1853. 
Pembroke  Murray,  September  21,  1853. 
Samuel  E.  Peacock,  September  27,  1854. 
George  P.  Porter,  October  2,  1854. 
George  Waterman,  December  13,  1854. 
George  Waterman,  September  29,  1855. 
George  W.  Pierson,  September  29.  1855. 
E.  M.  Anthony,  November  22,  1856. 

*This  was  then  Shasta  Butte  City,  or  Shasta  Plains,  township. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


87 


Samuel  C.  Horsley,  November  24,  1856. 
George  W.  Pierson,  September  14,  1857. 
Henry  Nichols,  September  15,  1857. 
George  W.  Pierson,  September  18,  1858. 
E.  W.  Potter,  September  28,  1858. 
George  W.  Pierson,  September  22,  1859. 
Homer  B.  Warren,  September  28,  1859. 
W.  VV.  Beman,  Aium-t  14,  18G0. 
E.  W.  Potter,  November  15,  I860. 
W.  W.  Beman,  November  16,  I860. 
Thomas  A.  Bantz,  September  16,  1861. 
E.  W.  Potter,  September  23,  1861. 
S.  M.  Farren,  September  22,  1862. 
E.  W.  Potter,  October  1,  1862. 
E.  W.  Potter,  January  2,  1864. 
James  L.  Camion,  January  2,  1864. 
James  L.  Cannon,  December  30,  1865. 
E.  W.  Potter,  December  30,  1865. 
E.  V.  Brown,  December  17,  1867. 
Thomas  A.  Bantz,  January  2,  1868. 
E.  V.  Brown,  December  29,  1869. 
Thomas  A.  Bantz,  December  31,  1869. 
E.  W.  Potter,  December  27,  1871. 
E.  V.  Brown,  Januarv  6,  1872. 
Homer  B.  Warren,  October  9,  1872. 
E.  V.  Brown,  November  6,  1873. 
Homer  B.  Warren,  November  12,  1873. 
E.  V.  Brown.  November  8,  1875. 
George  W.  Bowen,  December  3,  1875. 
Thomas  A.  Bantz,  December  19,  1877. 
E.  H.  Autenrieth,  January  10.  1878. 
E.   V.  Brown.  February  4,  1878. 

E.  V.  Brown,  September  29,  1879. 

CONSTABLES,    YREKA   TOWNSHIP. 

*  James  E.  Thomas,  June  1,  1852. 
*H.  R.  France,  June  3,  1852. 
William  1).  Slade,  November  23,  1852. 
George  W.  Glitts,  January  3,  1853. 

T.  N.  Ballard,  September  14,  1853. 
James  Searcy,  September  14,  1853. 
James  E.  Thomas,  September  22,  1854. 
Thomas  A.  Bantz,  October  2,  1854. 
William  T.  Kershaw,  September  29,  1855. 
James  E.  Thomas,  September  29,  1855. 
George  W.  Jackson,  November  22,  18">6. 
William  T.  Kershaw,  November  27,  1856. 
Jeffries  Babb,  September  14,  1857. 
George  W.  Jackson,  September  25,  1857. 
Jeffries  Babh,  September  28,  1858. 
George  W.  Jackson,  September  28,  1858. 
Thomas  P.  Greene,  September  21,  1859. 
M.  L.  Henry,  September  21,  1859. 
James  A.  Hill,  November  16,  1860. 
Thomas  P.  Greene,  November  16,  1860. 
Thomas  P.  Greene,  September  23,  1861. 
J.  Stine,  November  6,  1861. 
Henry  M.  Reid,  May  13,  1862. 
Thomas  P.  Greene,  September  29,  1862. 
R.  H.  Turnbull,  Oc  ober  1,  1862. 

F.  H.  Shiner,  December  19,  1863. 
Jeffries  Babb,  December  19,  1863. 
Jeffries  Babb,  December  30,  1865. 
D.  A.  Jencks,  May  9,  1866. 
Henry  M.  Reid,  August  7,  1867. 
L.  D.'Witherill,  October  21,  1867. 

*  This  was  then  Shasta  Plains,  or  Shasta  Butte  City,  township. 


Henry  M.  Reid,  December  5,  1867. 
Samuel  Patrick,  January  10,  1870. 
J.  M.  C.  Jones,  February  17,  1870. 
Samuel  Patrick,  January  4,  1872. 
J.  M.  C.  Jones,  April  8,  1872. 
H.  L.  Tickner,  September  16,  1873. 
J.  M.  C.  Jones,  September  30,  1873. 
Calvin  Witheral,  September  22,  1875. 
W.  W.  Powers,  October  8.  1877. 
John  G  Hal  lick,  October  23,  1877. 
Otto  Sippell,  September  23,  1879. 
John  G.  Halbck,  October  21,  1879. 

JUSTICES,    SCOTT   EIVER   TOWNSHIP. 

Grove  K.  Godfrey,  June  7,  1852. 
William  A.  Patterson,  June  10,  1852. 
J.  D.  Mason,  November  22,  1852. 
A.  F.  Farnham,  November  25,  1852. 
John  G.  Berry,  September  26,  1853. 
Thomas  Ball,  October  2.  1853. 
George  H.  Coe,  October  2,  1854. 
John  G.  Berry,  October  2,  1854. 
Sidney  H.  Haight,  March  26,  1855. 
Joseph  R.  Pratt,  August  10,  1855. 
James  George,  September  28,  1855. 
Daniel  F.  Finley,  September  28,  1855. 
Daniel  F.  Finlev,  November  15,  1856. 
M.  M.  Nichols,  November  18,  1856. 
Daniel  F.  Finley,  September  28,  1857. 
George  McNamara,  September  29,  1857. 
Joseph  Miller,  September  28,  1858. 
Daniel  W.  Balch,  September  28,  1858. 
Joseph  Miller,  October  3,  1859. 
John  G.  Berry,  November  24,  1860. 
William  F.  McMillen,  November  24,  1860. 
Achilles  Eastin,  September  27,  1861. 
John  G.  Berry,  October  5,  1861. 
Achilles  Eastin,  September  23,  1862. 
J.  B.  Leduc,  September  29,  1862. 
J.  B.  Leduc,  November  25,  1863. 
Searles  Tompkins,  December  12,  1863. 
J.  B.  Leduc,  December  12,  1865. 
Searles  Tompkins,  December  12,  1865. 
J.  B.  Leduc,  November  26,  1867. 
Searles  Tompkins,  November  26,  1867. 
Searles  Tompkins,  November  20,  1869. 
Searles  Tompkins,  February  27,  1872. 
Searles  Tompkins,  November  13,  1873. 
Rut'us  Frink,  November  24,  1873. 
Searles  Tompkins,  November  9,  1875. 
Senrles  Tompkins,  September  23,  1879. 

CONSTABLES,  SCOTT  EIVER  TOWNSHIP. 

James  Stewart,  June  5,  1852. 
George  Townsend,  June  11,  1852. 
James  Stewart,  November  24,  1852. 
Will. am  A.  Pierce,  November  25,  1852. 
George  R.  Hill,  September  26,  1853. 
Steplien  Watson,  October  3,  1853. 
Henrv  H.  Smith,  October  2,  1854. 
George  H.  Whieher,  March  22,  1855. 
Stanford  Capps,  March  26,  1855. 
Selby  F.  Hopkins,  September  28,  1855. 
Clinton  Barney,  October  5,  1855. 
Caleb  N.  Thornbury,  February  7,  1856. 
William  H.  StJolm,  November  15,  1856. 
George  N.  Parker,  December  1,  1856. 


88 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


William   H.  StJohn,  September  28,  1857. 
Stanford  Capps,  September  29,  1857. 
Stanford  Capps,  September  28,  1858. 
William  H.  StJohn,  October  23,  1858. 
James  T.  Kirkpatrick,  October  3,  1859. 
S.  H.  Lee,  October  3,  1859. 
George  R.  Hill,  November  28,  18G0. 
John  Elliott,  September  27,  1861. 
Eugene  L.  Maltby,  September  27,  18C1. 
Eugene  L.  Maltby,  September  29,  1862. 
James  H.  Lindsey,  September  29,  1862. 
Eugene  L.  Maltby,  November  25,   1863. 
D.  S.  O'Connell,  November  25,  1863. 

D.  S.  O'Connell,  October  30,  1865. 
Eugene  L.  Maltby,  December  30,  1865. 
James  H.  Lindsav,  October  19,  1867. 
D..S.  O'Connell,  November  4,  1867. 
James  H.  Lindsay,  September  23,  1869. 
James  H.  Lindsay,  October  17,  1871. 
Job  Ganetson,  April  23,  1872. 

James  H.  Lindsay,  September  27,  1873. 
James  H.  Lindsay,  September  25,  1875. 
John  Robinson,  October  4,  1875. 
James  H.  Lindsay,  September  23, 1879. 

JUSTICES,  HUMBUG  TOWNSHIP. 

E.  A.  Hall,  June  30,  1852. 
John  J.  Ross,  July  3,  1852. 

J.  M.  Ela,  November  23,  1852. 

J.  W.Dunn,  September  20,  1853. 

Howland  Smith,  September  23,  1853. 

Josiah  L.  McGownd,  September  16,  1854. 

Edward  S.  Mowry,  September  21,  1854. 

A.  M.  Jones,  September  22,  1855. 

William  S.  Mendenhall,  September  29,  1855. 

Edward  S.  Mowry,  October  6,  1856. 

C.  M.  Krider,  September  28,  1859.  " 

J.  M.  Church,  November  20,  1860. 

J.  M.  Church,  September  18,  1861. 

M.  J.  Austin,  September  16,  1862. 

George  Durand,  December  12,  1863. 

J.  K.  Oldham,  December  30,  1865. 

J.  H.  V.  Barry,  December  25,  1867. 

J.  H.  V.  Barry,  December  29,  1869. 

J.  H.  V.  Barry,  December  19,  1871. 

J.  H.  V.  Barry,  December  12,  1873. 

CONSTABLES,  HUMBUG  TOWNSHIP. 

James  J.  Cozart,  June  30,  1852. 
James  H.  Covington,  July  5,  1852. 
William  B.  Stevens,  November  29,  1852. 
Thomas  Fleming,  October  5,  1853. 
Thomas  Fleming,  September  25,  1854. 
Tliomas  W.  Baker,  October  2,  1854. 
G.  W.  Gray,  September  22,  1855. 
David  Ri  am,  October  1,  1855. 
Thomas  Keating,  September  30, 1859. 
Thomas  Keating,  November  20,  1860. 
Thomas  Keating,  October  2,  1861. 
Joseph  Bender,  November  12,  1862. 
A.  M  Jones,  March  17,  1868. 
Patrick  McGarvey,  April  13,  1870. 

JUSTICES,  COTTONWOOD  TOWNSHIP. 

G.  A.  K.  Orton,  September  29,1853. 
John  G.  Hatch,  October  2,  1854. 
Daniel  Gross,  October  2,  1854. 


James  M.  McCoy,  October  9,  1855. 
William  H.  Boss,  March  3, 1856. 
John  S.  Dudlev,  June  25,  1856. 
T.  B.  Barnes,  November  29,  1856. 
S.  M.  Hazlett,  December  1,  1856. 
John  M.  Runkle,  October  6,  1857. 
J.  W.  Evans,  May  13,  1858. 
J.  W.  Evans,  October  4,  1858. 
John  Berkstreper,  July  8,  1859. 
George  Nurse,  February  11,  1860. 
John  Bartol,  December  1,  1860. 
S  R.  Howlett,  December  3,  1860. 
Eli  Bostwick,  February  12, 1861. 
Francis  Parker,  September  14,  1861. 
S.  R.  Howlett,  October  7,  1861. 
R.  M.  Hopper,  October  G,  1862. 
R.  C.  Crawford,  February  6,  1864. 
Isaac  H.  Ellis,  Fehruary  14,  1865. 
R.  F.  Thompson,  February  9,  1866. 
R.  M.  Hopper,  August  23,'  1866. 
H.  B.  Oakey,  March  12,  1868. 
H.  B.  Oakey,  March  22,  1870. 
E.  G.  Bunnell,  November  10,  1873. 

CONSTABLES,   COTTONWOOD   TOWNSHIP. 

James  M.  Trimble,  September  29,  1853. 
On  en  M.  Rhodes,  October  2,  1854. 
Lafavette  Williams,  October  2,  1854. 
Elias  Markell,  October  2,  1855. 
Orren  M.  Rhodes,  November  26,  1855. 
T.  S.  Saunders,  December  1,  1856. 
George  Nurse,  January  4,  1858. 
J.  B.1" Jones,  September  25,  1859. 
Jesse  Merrill,  December  11,  1860. 
H.  B.  Oakey,  March  22,  1861. 
R.  M.  Hopper,  September  17.  1861. 
H.  H.  Davis,  September  22,  1862. 
H.  B.  O^key,  January  29,  1866. 
Orville  Shaft,  October  23,  1867. 
Robert  A.  Chambers,  October  12,  1869. 

JUSTICES,   SCOTT   VALLEY   TOWNSHIP. 

Jonas  W.  Brown,  April  2,  1855. 
George  H.  Coe,  October  1,  1855. 
A.  S.  Goodrich,  October  1,  1855. 
M.  Birkbeck,  December  1,  1856. 
W.  H.  Warbass,  May  22,  1857. 
Leander  Quivey,  September  14,  1857. 
Robert  S.  Green,  October  7,  1857. 
Leander  Quivey,  September  28.  1858. 
Robert  S.  Green,  October  4,  1858. 
Robert  S.  Green,  September  29,  1859. 
David  S.  Hallenbeck,  September  29,  1859. 
Leander  Quivey,  November  14,  1S60. 
James  Searcy,  December  3,  1860. 
Robert  S.  Green,  September  26,  1861. 
Jonathan  Green,  October  4,1861. 
John  T.  Moxley,  March  3,  1862. 
Robert  S.  Green,  September  16,  1862. 
John  T.  Moxley,  September  29,  1862. 
Robert  S  Green,  November  25,  1863. 
Hiram  Wilson,  December  19,  1863. 
A.  P.  McCarton,  December  12,  1865. 
M.  F.  Bird,  December  30,1865. 
D.  S.  Hallenbeck,  August  23,  1863. 
A.  P.  McCarton,  November  26,  1867. 
D.  S.  Hallenbeck,  December  2,  1867. 


CHAELES  MICHAEL  NENTZEL. 


CHARLES  MICHAEL  NENTZEL. 

This  gentleman  was  born  in  Okersheirn  on  the 
Rhine,  in  Bavaria,  December  6,  1832,  and  is  the 
third  child  of  Christopher  and  Christiana  Regina 
(Helmuth)  Nentzel.  They  emigrated  to  America 
in  1833,  and  arrived  in  New  York  during  the 
prevalence  of  the  cholera.  His  father  established  a 
blacksmith  business  in  that  city.  Charles,  as  he 
grew  up,  received  the  rudiments  of  an  English  edu- 
cation in  the  public  school,  and  studied  German 
and  French  under  a  private  tutor.  He  assisted  his 
father  from  the  age  of  fourteen  till  sixteen,  when 
he  became  apprenticed  to  a  jeweler.  His  father 
left  New  York  for  California  in  1850,  and  sent  for 
Charles  to  join  him  two  years  later.  He  started 
in  the  spring  of  1853,  crossed  through  Nicaragua, 
and  landed  in  San  Francisco  early  in  June.  He 
at  once  went  to  Scott  Bar,  where"  his  father  had 
established  a  merchandising  business,  whom  he 
assisted  till  1855.  He  then  became  a  partner  with 
his  father  and  S.  Simon.  In  1865,  his  health  being 
impaired  by  too  close  application  to  business,  he 
left  Scott  river,  and  went  by  stage  to  Sacramento, 
steamer  to  San  Francisco,  and  again  to  Panama, 
railroad  to  Aspinwall,  and  steamer  Star  of  the  West, 
to  New  York.     He  entered  Dr.  Laidlaw's  hydro- 


pathic cure  at  Hudson  City,  where  he  gradually 
regained  health  and  vigor.  In  December,  1865,  he 
took  up  bis  residence  with  his  brother-in-law,  Mr. 
Hintze,  on  Hudson  Heights,  where  he  lived  nearly 
a  year,  attending  a  commercial  college.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1867,  he  engaged  to  work  at  his  old  occupa- 
tion of  jeweler,  at  Chattellier  &  Spence,  in  New 
York,  where,  for  a  time,  prosperity  followed  him. 
His  younger  brother,  David,  who  had  taken  charge 
of  a  ranch  in  Scott  valley,  belonging  to  Nentzel  & 
Simon,  died  in  the  spring  of  1872,  and  Charles 
abandoned  his  situation  in  New  York,  and  returned 
here,  to  take  charge  of  the  ranch  and  manage  the 
property.  He  made  the  trip  this  time  on  the  rail- 
road, in  thirteen  days,  arriving  in  San  Francisco 
July  21,  1873,  and  at  Scott  valley  five  days  later. 
Although  the  work  and  management  of  the  farm 
was  to  him  a  novelty,  he  entered  upon  the  task 
with  courage  and  energy,  and  succeeded  so  well  in 
the  ensuing  seven  years,  that  he  may  be  regarded 
as  one  of  the  prosperous  farmers  of  Scott  valley. 
He  is  well  known  for  his  sterling  integrity,  and  is 
generally  esteemed  as  a  good  citizen  and  neighbor. 
In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican,  and  in  religion,  a 
liberal  Protestant.  He  owns  480  acres  of  land,  all 
under  a  good  state  of  cultivation. 


JOHN  MILLER. 


A  VIEW  ON  THE  FARM  OF  JOHN  MILLER,  1320  ACRES,  SETTLED  BY  HIM  IN  1854. 

TABLE  ROCK  DISTRICT, SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CAL. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


89 


James  M.  Trimble,  December  1,  1569. 
S.  M.  Farren,  December  29,  18G9. 
Robert  S.  Green,  May  8,  1871. 
Robert  S.  Green,  November  20,  1871. 
James  H.  Taylor,  April  20,  1872. 
Robert  S.  Green,  November  14,  1873. 
James  H.  Taylor,  November  15,  1873. 
James  H.  McCoy,  November  2,  1875. 
Robert  S.  Green,  November  8,  1875. 
Louis  Heller,  January  13,  1878. 
Robert  S.  Green,  February  1,  1878. 
Louis  Heller,  September  23,  1879. 
Robert  S.  Green,  September  23,  1879. 
Robert  S.  Green,  December  15,  1880. 

CONSTABLES,    SCOTT   VALLEY   TOWNSHIP. 

William  V.  Smith,  March  31,  1855. 
W.  H.  Bunyanl,  October  1,  1855. 
J.  M.  Bassett,  December  3,  1856. 
Alexander  Owens,  October  3,  1857. 
L.  C.  Mead,  October  7,  1857. 
S.  Bradley,  September  28,  1858. 
William  M.  Burrows,  September  28,  1858. 
Nathaniel  H.  Adams,  September  29,  1859. 
N.  J.  Coffin,  September  29,  1859. 
Alexander  Owens,  November  14,  1860. 
Nathaniel  H.  Adams,  November  30,  1860. 
Robert  M.  Griffith.  September  27.  1861. 
G.  M.  Freeman,  September  27,  1861." 
Benjamin  Porter,  November  15,  1861. 

A.  P.  Van  Duser,  May  23,  1862. 
James  M.  Luttrell,  September  29,  1862. 
D.  R.  Calhoun,  September  29,  1862. 
John  E.  Campbell,  November  25,  1863. 
James  M.  Luttrell,  November  30,  1863. 
Elisha  Day,  October  30,  1865. 

John  E.  Campbell,  November  17,  1865. 
Alfred  Atkins,  October  14,  1867. 
David  Starr,  October  28,  1867. 
Patrick  Markey,  February  11,  1870. 
Alfred  Atkins, "May  11,  1870. 
Alfred  Atkins,  October  10,  1871. 
Geome  VV.  Havs,  February  1,  1873. 
Alfred  Atkins,  September  15,  1873. 
George  W.  Haj^s,  September  27,  1873. 
Alfred  Atkins,  September  21,  1875. 
Absalom  Hart,  October  4,  1875. 
John  W.  Wheeler,  September  29,  1877. 
James  E.  Thomas,  October  1,  1877. 
John  W.  Wheeler,  September  23,  1879. 

JUSTICES,  SHASTA  VALLEY  TOWNSHIP. 

William  H.  Chisebro,  September  20,  1855. 
John  B.  Pierce,  October  6,  1855. 

B.  L.  Wait,  November  29,  1856. 
William  Bonnafield,  November  29,  1856. 
John  B.  Pierce,  October  7,  1857. 

J.  C.  Gordon,  September  22,  1858. 
S.  D.  Coates,  September  28,  1858. 
Edwin  R.  Stone,  September  27,  1859. 
S.  D.  Coates,  October  5,  1859. 

CONSTABLES,  SHASTA  VALLEY  TOWNSHIP. 

Joseph  Marcum,  October  1,  1855. 
Joseph  Marcum,  November  28,  1856. 
J.  A.  Foreman,  September  28,  1858. 
W.  W.  Starr,  October  7,  1858. 
James  A.  Bagley,  September  21,  1859. 


JUSTICES,  SOUTH  TOWNSHIP. 

C.  A.  Ferguson,  October  1,  1855. 
John  S.  Lee,  October  3,  1855. 
John  S.  Lee,  December  1,  1856. 

D.  H.  Lowry,  May  26,  1857. 
h.  S.  Wilson,  October  9,  1857. 

E.  H.  Hall,  October  7,  1858. 

L.  S.  Wilson,  October  23,  1858. 

L.  S.  Wilson,  September  27,  1859. 

E.  H.  Hall,  October  3,  1859. 

Craven  Lee,  November  28,  1860. 

E.  H.  Hall,  December  3,  1860. 

O.  Smiley,  October  4,  1861. 

James  H.  Taylor,  October  4,  1861. 

M.  M.  Dawson,  September  29,  1862. 

O.  Smilev,  September  29,  1862. 

Louis  Fafa,  May  20,  1863. 

Louis  Fafa,  November  20,  1863. 

M.  M.  Dawson,  November  23,  1863. 

Louis  Fafa,  December  12,  1865. 

M.  M.  Dawson,  Januarv  9,  1866. 

E.  H.  Hall,  February  19,  1866. 

Louis  Fafa,  November  23,  1866. 

Louis  Fafa,  November  30,  1867. 

E.  H.  Hall,  December  5,  1867. 

Louis  Fafa,  November  20,  1869. 

E.  H.  Hall,  December  31,  1869. 

Louis  Fal'a,  November  21,  1871. 

Ichabod  Comstock,  January  8,  1872. 

E.  H.  Hall,  October  14,  1873. 

Horace  W.  Sullivan,  August  29,  1874. 

Horace  W.  Sullivan,  November  9,  1875. 

Albeit  H.  Denny,  May  6,  1876. 

George  W.  Mitchell,  September  29,  1879. 

Horace  W.  Sullivan,  September  26,  1879. 

CONSTABLES,   SOUTH   TOWNSHIP. 

Horace  Green,  October  3,  1855. 
W.  W.  McCoy,  December  5,  1856. 
T.  C  Elson,  December  27,  1856. 
J.  T.  Moxley,  October  9,  1857. 
Onin  Clark,  October  27,  1857. 
J.  T.  Moxley,  October  7,  1858. 
A.  W.  Shays,  October  9,  1858. 
M.  B.  Mitchell,  September  27,  1859. 
John  Rhodes,  October  3,  1859. 
Ivan  Erlandson,  November  23,  1860. 
Bernard  Reynolds,  December  3,  1860. 
Bernard  Reynolds,  October  5,  1861. 
James  Crossan,  Octobers,  1861. 
Ivan  Erlandson,  September  22,  1862. 
William  R.  Price,  March  9,  1863. 
Ivan  Erlandson,  November  20,  1863. 
William  R.  Price,  December  9,  1863. 
A.  J.  Woods,  November  5,  1865. 
Ivan  Erlandson,  November  17,  1865. 
David  H.  Shaw,  Mav  21,  1866. 
David  H.  Shaw,  October  19,  1867. 
William  Alger,  November  4,  1867. 
David  H.  Siiaw,  April  13,  1870. 
Horace  W.  Sullivan,  February  21,  1871. 
Horace  W.  Sullivan,  January  4,  1872. 
Absalom  Spidle,  January  11,  1873. 
Absalom  Spidle,  May  11,  1874. 
Nathan  C.  Evans,  August  29,  1874. 
Nathan  C.  Evans,  May  13,  1876. 
Martin  Marx,  October  3, 1877. 


90 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


Nathan  C.  Evans,  October  8,  1877.  __ 
Nathan  C.  Evans,  September  29,  1879. 

JUSTICES,  KLAMATH  TOWNSHIP. 

James  H.  Taylor,  September  18,  1856. 
George  B.  Fearing,  December  30,  1856. 
George  B.  Fearing,  May  27,  1857. 
J.  Frazier,  October  4,  1858. 
James  H.  Taylor,  December  3,  1860. 
Charles  Walker,  October  12,  1861. 

CONSTABLES,  KLAMATH  TOWNSHIP. 

William  S.  B.  Townsley,  September  18,  185G. 

JUSTICES,  BUTTE  TOWNSHIP. 

W.  J.  Fox,  November  17,  I860. 
H.  M.  Yancey,  November  17,  I860. 
D.  C.  Stevens,  September  23,  1861. 
G.  Keith  Watson,  October  4,  1861. 
D.  C.  Stevens,  September  29,  1862. 
G.  Keith  Watson,  September  29,  1862. 
J.  C.  Palmer,  January  2,  1864. 

F.  W.  Hudson,  December  12,  1865. 

G.  Keith  Watson,  December  17,  1867. 
S.  D.  Coates,  January  8,  1868. 

CONSTABLES,  BUTTE  TOWNSHIP. 

James  Bagley,  November  14,  1860. 
B.  A.  Gordon,  September  27,  1861. 
John  Caldwell,  October  4,  1861. 
B.  A.  Gordon,  September  29,  1862. 
James  M.  Smith,  October  6,  1862. 

JUSTICES,   TABLE   ROCK   TOWNSHIP. 

Charles  J.  Dorris,  October  6,  1862. 
S.  Terwilliger,  October  6,  1862. 
H.  L.  Davis,  November  15,  1873. 
Samuel  B.  Boyes,  December  4,  1875. 

CONSTABLES,   TABLE   ROCK    TOWNSHIP. 

Abraham  Deter,  October  15,  1867. 

JUSTICES,    SURPRISE   VALLEY   TOWNSHIP. 

William  A.  Saulsbury,  January  10,  1866. 
J.  C.  Bowman,  Jamiaiy  13,  1868. 
James  H.  Whipple,  February  4,  186S. 
J.  C.  Bowman,  Januar)   10,  1870. 
James  H.  Whipple,  May  9,  1870. 
J.  C.  Bowman,  December  19,  1871. 
John  B.  Runyon,  January  15,  1872. 
A.  K.  Long,  November  24,  1873. 
Joseph  W.  Johnson,  December  31,  1873. 

CONSTABLES,    SURPRISE  VALLEY   TOWNSHIP. 

A.  Eddy,  October  30,  1865. 
James  Christie,  February  4,  1868. 
George  Wimer,  March  27,  1868. 
William  Hudspeth,  Januarv  13, 1870. 
J.  W.  Crally,  January  28,  1870. 
Jacob  Clark,  November  22,  1871. 
Joel  A.  Dickinson.  October  6,  1873. 
AVilliam  P.  Gaby,  October  6,  1873. 

JUSTICES,   BIG   VALLEY   TOWNSHIP. 

William  A.  McClure,  December  5,  1870. 
L.  E.  V.  Coon,  April  9,  1872. 
William  A.  McCJure,  July  2,  1872. 


L  E  V.  Coon,  November  11,  1872. 
Lewis  Tnrnbull,  September'  27,  1873. 
James  W.  Parker,  November  15,  1873. 
WTilliam  A.  McClure,  November  17,  1873. 

CONSTABLES,    BIG   VALLEY   TOWNSHIP. 

Thomas  C.  Way,  February  24,  1872. 
Mahlon  Cannon,  May  6,  1872. 
A.  H.  Reid,  November  24,  1873. 

A.  J.  Frank,  December  9,  1873. 

JUSTICES,    HOT   SPRING    TOWNSHIP. 

William  McJilton,  May  6,  1872. 

C.  G.  Dorris,  March  17,  1873. 

William  A.  Saulsbury,  November  17,  1873. 

J.  Lieurance,  December  14,  1873. 

CONSTABLES,    HOT   SPRING    TOWNSHIP. 

M.  W.  Copple,  October  18,  1873. 

CONSTABLES,   MOUNTAIN   TOWNSHIP. 

William  E.  Haskell,  November  6,  1873. 
Michael  Houiigan,  September  22,  1875. 

JUSTICES,    LIBERTY    TOWNSHIP. 

John  S.  Hughes,  April  2,  1875. 
Simon  R.  Sheffield,  May  13,  1875. 
John  S.  Huuhes,  November  10,  1875. 
John  S.  Hughes,  February  7,  1878. 
Simon  R.  Sheffield,  September  23,  1879. 
John  S.  Hughes,  September  23,  1879. 

CONSTABLES,    LIBERTY    TOWNSHIP. 

J.  J.  Curran,  October  8,  1877. 

B.  WT.  Jencks,  February  19,  1878. 
B.  W.  Jencks,  September,  23,  1879. 


THE   BENCH  AND   BAR  OF   SISKIYOU. 

BY    HON.    ELIJAH    STEELE. 

At  the  first  discovery  of  mines  in  what  is  now 
recognized  as  Siskiyou  county,  its  exact  geographical 
position  was  unknown.  The  influx  of  miners  was 
from  both  north  and  south,  those  coming  from  Ore- 
gon claiming  it  as  within  the  Oregon  lines,  and 
those  from  the  south  that  the  mining  district  south  | 
of  Klamath  river  was  on  California  territory. 

The  consequence  of  this  uncertainty  was  that  in 
1850  and  1851,  and  until  the  organization  of  the 
present  county,  the  denizens  of  that  territory  lying  i 
north  of  Shasta  Butte  and  south  of  the  Siskiyou  j 
mountains  declined  to  submit  to  the  judicial  author-  | 
ity  of  either  Oregon  or  California  ;  but  in  order  to  j 
the  maintenance  of  right  over  might  each  mining  I 
district  organized  as  a  judicial  district  and  elected  I 
one  or  more  alcaldes,  according  to  the  population  of 
the  district. 

In  the  mining  district  known  as  Scott's  Bar  the 
first  important  question  arose  between  the  Davis 
Brothers  and  others,  the  first  discoverers  of  the  so- 
called  Goodwin  claim,  and  R.  B  Snelling  and  others, 
who  had  jumped  it  during  the  absenceof  the  original 
locators   to   Sacramento  valley,  whither   they  had 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


91 


gone  to  winter,  it  being  thought  try  many  that  it 
was  unsafe  to  winter  in  these  mountains. 

It  was  finally  agreed  between  the  parties  that 
Judge  Hughes,  county  judge  of  Colusa  county, 
should  be  cilied  to  preside  at  the  trial.  Hughes  was 
sent  for,  but  upon  his  arrival  the  Snelling  party,  who 
were  Oregonians,  went  back  on  their  agreement, 
claiming  that  as  their  opponents  were  from  Califor- 
nia, and  Hughes  from  that  State,  they  feared  par- 
tiality; and  then  both  parties  armed  to  settle  the 
dispute  by  the  right  of  might. 

At  this  juncture  the  miners  on  the  river  inter- 
fered,  appointed  a  miners'  judge  by  the   name  of 

Smith  (now  in  the  service  of  Commissioner 

of  the  United  States  Land  Office),  and  a  miners' 
jury  of  twenty-four,  when  the  first  formal  proceed- 
ings of  a  legal  nature  were  held  on  Scott's  Bar  for 
the  district  of  country  now  included  in  Siskiyou 
county. 

At  the  trial  the  Davis  brothers  were  represented 
by  E.  Steele  as  their  attorney,  who  held  a  license 
then  to  practice  in  New  York,  Wisconsin,  and  Cali- 
fornia, and  is  now  the  superior  judge  of  said  county. 

The  Snelling  party  were  represented  by  R.  B. 
Snelling  (one  of  the  parties  who  claimed  to  have  been 
an  attorney  from  Kentucky),  a  gentleman  by  the 
name  of  Spindle,  hailing  from  Virginia,  and  claim- 
ing a  license  from  that  State,  and  William  Clarkson, 
from  Missouri. 

The  miners,  also,  in  organizing  the  court,  selected 
General  R.  M.  Martin  from  their  number  to  act  as 
sheriff,  and,  all  tilings  in  readiness,  the  case  pro- 
ceeded, and  after  a  long  and  tedious  trial  the  jury 
found  that  the  Davis  party  ha  1  abandoned  the  claim, 
when  they  went  out,  wh  ch  was  acquiesced  in,  and 
a  serious  encounter  avoided.  This  trial  took  place 
in  the  early  spring  of  1851, 

Soon  after  it  was  conceived  on  Scott's  Bar  that  it 
would  be  better  to  have  a  local  organization,  and 
R.  B.  Snelling  and  a  miner,  known  only  as  Buffalo 
John,  presented  their  names  as  candidates  for  the 
office,  designating  it  as  "  county  judge." 

In  the  contest  Snelling  was  victorious  by  a  small 
majority,  and  assumed  the  duties  without  taking 
the  oath  of  office,  but  by  the  acquiescence  of  the 
Scott's  Bar  people. 

In  the  meantime  Yreka  had  become  quite  an  im- 
portant point,  and  they  proceeded  to  elect  an  alcalde, 
to  determine  the  right  and  repress  the  wrong. 

The  first  alcalde  of  importance,  though  two  had 
preceded  him,  was  George  C.  S.  Vail,  formerly  of 
Wisconsin.  Vail  entered  upon  and  discharged  for  a 
short  time  the  duties  of  alcalde  with  a  considerable 
one-sided  ability,  openly  declaring  that  if  the  plain- 
tiff in  an  action  was  poor,  and  the  defendant  had 
means,  it  was  an  absolute  necessity  to  give  iudg- 
ment  for  the  plaintiff,  as  the  collection  of  fees  was 
an  important  question.  Jim  Thomas,  our  present 
deputy  sheriff,  residing  at  Fort  Jones,  was  his  lav/ 
officer. 

Vail  had  not  long  been  inducted  into  office  before 
a  boy  made  a  complaint  to  his  court,  claiming  five 
or  six  hundred  dollars  agiinst  an  Oreg  m  driver  for 
services  in  aiding  in  driving  ca'-tle  an  1  working  for 
him  in  a  claim.  Vail  issued  his  summons,  which 
upon  being  served,  the  drover  sold  his  cattle  and 
appeared  in  court  to  defend  the  claim.     The  testi- 


mony of  plaintiff  and  defendant  was  all.  of  the  evi- 
dence in  the  case,  and  that  was  in  every  important 
matter  conflicting.  Vail,  with  the  wisdom  of  a  Sol- 
omon, held  that  the  defendant,  having  hurriedly  sold 
his  cattle  when  called  to  answer  the  complaint, 
showed  a  guilty  conscience,  and  it  was  prima,  facie 
evid  -nee  that  he  lied,  and  entered  judgment  for  the 
full  claim  and  ab  >ut  as  much  more  of  costs. 

How  to  enforce  the  judgment  then  became  an 
important  question,  as  the  defendant  defied  the 
court,  claiming  that  he  had  converted  everything  to 
cash,  and  that  he  had  it  on  his  person,  which  under 
the  constitution  was  exempt  from  search. 

Here  was  for  the  moment  a  knotty  question  for 
Vail.  He  had  always  been  loud  in  his  own  behalf 
in  claiming  the  rights  of  an  American  citizen,  anl 
was  willing  to  accord  the  defendant  exemption  from 
search;  but  Vail's  wit  and  his  itching  palm  for  the 
costs  soon  sug^estel  a  way  out  of  the  difficulty. 
After  a  few  moments  of  deep  thought,  Vail  so 
amended  his  decree  as  to  order  his  law  officer  to 
enforce  the  judgment  by  standing  the  defendant 
upon  his  heal  and  shaking  him  well  and  to  levy 
up  >n  whatever  of  valuables  should  be  produced  in 
satisfaction  of  the  execution.  Whereupon  Thomas, 
with  the  aid  of  the  alcalde  and  plaintiff,  proceeded 
to  put  the  decree  in  force,  when  the  defendant,  find- 
ing himself  alone  in  the  matter,  pulled  out  his  sack 
of  dust  and  paid  the  judgment. 

The  other  recognized  attorneys  up  to  that  time 
were  Ben.  M.  Penn,  of  Brownsville,  Ohio,  a  young 
man  of  a  very  fine  mind,  but  who  in  his  youth  fell 
a  victim  to  the  ba  1  liquors  with  which  the  country 
was  fljoded,  and  died  in  Scott  valley  in  1852; 
Cardozi,  who  hailed  from  New  York  City  and  to 
which  pkee  he  returned  at  an  early  day,  and  has 
since  held  quite  responsible  political  positions  in 
that  city;  Columbus  Sims,  hailing  from  Alabama, 
a  sensitive,  high-toned  young  mm  of  considerable 
ability;  he  is  believed  to  be  dead  at  this  writing; 
James  Strawbridge,  who  hailed  from  New  Orleans, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  first  Court  of  Sessions  of 
this  county,  at  which  Judge  W.  A.  Robertson  pre- 
sided as  judge.  Strawbridge  returned  to  New 
Orleans;  was  afterwards  quite  prominent  as  a  rebel, 
which  was  quite  a  surprise  to  his  many  California 
friends.  In  character,  he  was  a  man  of  broad  views, 
of  liberal  disposition,  and  seemed  to  be  whilst  here 
devoid  of  all  local  prejudices. 

List,  though  not  least,  of  the  early  attorneys  of 
1851  was  John  D.  Cosby,  whose  widow  yet  resides 
in  Yreka.  Cosby  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  where  he 
gr.idu  ited  as  an  attornev,  coming  to  this  country 
when  quite  a  boy.  As  an  office  lawyer  Cosby  was 
not  eminent,  but  as  an  advocate  he  was  rarely  if 
ever  surpassed.  He  was  a  natural  speaker,  ready 
at  all  times,  and  was  one  of  those  gifted  persons 
that  could  speak  on  either  side  of  any  important 
question  with  great  firmness  and  logic.  Cosby  upon 
the  organization  of  the  county  in  May,  1852,  asso- 
ciate I  himself  with  John  D.  Cook  in  the  practice  of 
the  law  at  Yreka,  where  he  h  id  a  very  lucrative 
practice.  He  was  afterwards  elected  State  senator 
for  this  county,  which  office  he  filled  with  distinction. 
After  his  as-ojiation  with  Cook,  Cosby  remained 
alone  for  a  time,  and  then  in  1857  formed  a  copart- 
nership with  Mr.  Steele  which  lasted  nearly  three 


92 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


years,  when  they  separated  and  Cosby  continued  in 
the  practice  alone  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
happened  from  a  horse  running  away  with  him  in 
the  spring  of  1861.  Cosby  was  an  active  politician 
and  was  one  of  the  foremost  advocates  of  Native 
Americanism.  In  his  whole  life  he  was  notable  for  his 
generosity  and  prodigality,  and  although  his  earnings 
in  his  profession  amounted  to  large  sums,  and  in  his 
family  expenses  he  and  his  wife  were  not  in  the  least 
extravagant,  yet  when  called  from  this  stage  of 
action  he  died  poor  in  purse,  but  rich  in  the  esteem 
of  those  who  best  knew  him. 

As  we  have  now  come  to  the  organization  of  the 
first  County  Court  in  May,  1852,  it  may  be  well  to 
take  notice  of  the  bench  and  bar  from  this  time  on 
in  the  order  in  which  they  stand  on  record. 

Our  first  county  judge  was  William  A.  Robertson, 
a  native  of  Georgia,  a  man  of  firm  talent,  a  genial 
whole-souled  gentleman,  and  of  pure  and  unblem- 
ished character.  He  presided  as  county  judge  until 
about  May,  1853,  when  finding;  the  salary  was  too 
insufficient  to  warrant  his  retaining  the  position  he 
resigned  and  R.  L.  Westbrook  was  appointed  in  his 
place.  Judge  Robertson  then  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  in  which  he  was  quite  suc- 
cessful. About  1856  he  returned  to  his  native  State, 
and  afterwards,  about  1857,  removed  to  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, at  which  place  he  died  in  about  1858  or 
1859.  During  the  time  he  was  in  practice  he  was 
for  a  short  time  associated  with  Columbus  Sims, 
and  afterwards  with  Eli  H.  Stone. 

John  D.  Cook  settled  in  Yreka  in  the  spring  of 
1852.  He  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  a  man  of 
superior  natural  and  acquired  attainments.  The 
first  year  was  devoted  pretty  much  to  roving  and 
Indian  hunting,  but  finally  he  formed  a  copartner- 
ship with  John  D.  Cosby,  with  whom  he  continued 
until  his  health  failed,  and  in  1855  he  gave  up  the 
practice  of  the  profession  and  died  of  consumption 
at  Sacramento  City  in  1857  or  '58. 

George  W.  Pierson  was  another  of  the  early 
members  of  the  bar  that  have  "passed  over  the 
river."  His  true  name  was  George  Wilmot,  and  he 
was  a  brother  to  Wilmot  of  the  Wilmot  Proviso 
notoriety.  Some  irregularity  of  early  life  induced 
him  to  assume  the  maiden  name  of  his  mother, 
Pierson.  He  was  known  as  Pierson  generally  till 
his  death,  which  occured  in  Yreka  in  about  1857. 

Jehu  Berry  is  another  that  may  be  considered  as 
of  the  past.  He  was  born  in  Ohio;  came  to  Cali- 
fornia at  an  early  day,  and  to  Yreka  as  a  packer  in 
1852.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  entered  upon 
the  practice  in  1854,  at  first  as  member  of  the  firm 
of  Steele,  Rosborough  &  B^rry,  afterwards  as 
Rosborough  &  Berry  and  finally  alone.  He  was 
originally  an  active  Whig,  but  being  elected  to  the 
State  Senate  over  D.  D.  Oolton  he,  during  his  term 
under  John  C.  Burch  became  a  convert  to  democ- 
racy and  continued  in  that  faith  until  he  lost  his 
senses.  He  is  now  an  inmate  of  Napa  lunatic  asylum. 
Berry  in  early  life  was  a  man  of  much  thought  and 
good  legal  attainments,  but  no  advocate.  His  forte 
was  office  woik. 

An  attorney  of  early  times  was  one  Hulbard,  but 
of  his  history  none  of  the  old  settlers  now  renminbi  o- 


know  anything.     He  was  for  a  short  time  associated 
with  Pierson. 

E.  M.  Anthony,  commonly  known  as  Mose 
Anthony,  was  a  lawyer  of  finished  education,  and 
modest  unassuming  disposition  ;  was  born  in 
Virginia;  died  in  Yreka  about  1869.  He  devoted 
the  most  of  his  time  to  mining. 

A.  M.  Rosborough  came  to  Siskiyou  in  1853;  was 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Steele,  Rosborough  & 
Berry  until  he  succeeded  Westbrook  as  county  judge 
in  1856,  and  continue!  in  that  office  until  elected 
district  judge,  which  office  he  held  until  the  adop- 
tion of  the  new  State  constitution,  when  he  removed 
to  Shasta  county  and  then  to  Oakland,  where  he  now 
resides.  Upon  his  retiring  from  the  practice,  his 
brother.  J.  B.  R)sborough,  formed  a  copartnership 
with  Berry,  Steele  retiring.  Both  Risborou^hs 
were  born  in  Tennessee.  J.  B.  now  resides  at  Salt 
Lake  City. 

James  D.  Turner  held  for  a  time  a  prominent 
position  as  an  attorney.  He  was  at  one  time  can- 
didate for  district  judge,  again  for  the  Assembly, 
and  editor  of  Yreka  Union;  was  a  man  of  marked 
ability.  Returned  to  Illinois,  whence  he  had  emi- 
grated to  this  State.  Soon  after  his  return  home 
he  died  of  consumption. 

George  W.  S.  Cummins  was  born  in  Virginia,  a 
graduate  of  a  law  school,  of  high  attainments  as  a 
scholar  and  thinker.  He  was  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Fair  &  Cummins.  He  died  at  Yreka  about  1859, 
in  early  manhood.  His  partner,  Col.  W.  D.  Fair, 
was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  was  for  a  time  a 
professor  in  a  military  college.  Removed  to  New 
Orleans,  where  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  his 
wife,  Laura  D.  F.iir.  He  ended  his  career  by  sui- 
cide in  San  Francisco. 

George  W.  Tyler,  now  of  Alameda,  was  an  early 
resident  of  Siskiyou  county.  Studied  the  profession 
for  a  time,  and  soon  went  back  to  Massachu- 
setts, his  boyhood  home;  graduated,  and  returned 
to  Yreka  to  practice.  He  afterwards  removed  to 
Stockton.  Has  since  held,  with  marked  ability,  the 
office  of  county  judge  of  San  Joaquin  county,  and 
more  lately  was  member  of  the  Assembly  from  Ala- 
meda county.  He  is  now  practicing  his  profession 
with  success  in  San  Francisco. 

W.  S.  R.  Taylor,  an  attorney,  resided  on  Green- 
horn a  short  time  as  a  miner;  took  part  in  some  of 
the  water  trials,  originating  there,  but  no  one  now 
left  knows  further  of  his  history. 

Eli  H.  Stone  was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  He  was 
for  a  time  partner  with  Judge  Robertson  After 
their  dissolution  he  served  a  term  as  district  attor- 
ney, when  to  hold  tliat  office  wa3  to  get  rich.  He 
soon  returned  to  his  native  State,  where  he  yet 
resides. 

The  countv  judges  were  first,  W.  A.  Robertson, 
then  R.  L.  Westbrook,  A.  M.  Rosborough,  Wm.  Mc- 
Conaughy  and  Edwin  Shearer. 

The  district  judges  that  presided  in  this  county 
were,  first  in  order,  Judge  J.  Montgomery  Peters,  a 
native  of  Virginia,  a  man  of  fine  attainments  and 
finished  training,  but  from  lack  of  energy  he  was  a 
failure  as  a  ju  Ige.  He  returned  East,  and  finally 
died  in  Baltimore. 


£feK^ 


MBS.  ELIJAH  STEELE. 


ELIJAH   STEELE. 

This  gentleman  is  the  son  of  Orlo  Steele,  and  was 
bom  near  Albany,  New  York.  November  13,  1817. 
When  he  was  three  years  of  age  the  family  moved 
to  Oswego,  in  the  same  State,  where  Elijah  was 
educated.  He  read  law  in  the  office  of  Grant  & 
Allen,  the  latter  gentleman  being  Judge  of  the 
Court  of  Appeals.  At  the  July  term,  1840,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  New  York,  and  then  went  to  Wisconsin,  landing 
in  Kenosha  (then  Southport)  on  the  fifth  of  October. 
That  fall  he  was  admitted  to  the  Circuit  Court  of 
Wisconsin  and  Illinois,  and  in  1841  to  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Wisconsin.  He  practiced  law  there  until 
April,  1850,  during  which  time  he  was  a  member 
of  the  first  constitutional  convention  of  Wisconsin. 
In  1849  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  but 
before  his  term  expired  he  left  for  California  for  his 
health,  intending  to  stay  one  year.  He  landed  in 
Sacramento  from  across  the  plains  October  5,  1850, 
just  ten  years  after  his  entry  into  Wisconsin.  He 
went  at  once  to  Shasta  and  commenced  mining  at 
Middletown.  He  soon  went  below  again  for 
medical  aid.  He  fell  in  with  some  of  the  Scott 
river  prospectors,  and  went  to  Shasta  to  winter. 
In  January,  he  started  with  others  for  Scott  river. 
The  trip  was  tedious  and  the  estimated  distance 
from  Shasta  to  Shasta  Butte  was  one  hundred 
and  ninety  miles.  He  worked  for  a  few  days 
at  Scott  Bar,  and  then  came  to  Yreka  when 
news  was  received  of  the  discovery  here,  and  took 
up  a  claim  north  of  Rich  guich.  It  was  a  poor 
one,  and  he  met  with  Robert  Atherton,  Stephen 
Watson  and  others  to  the  number  of  twelve,  and 
took  up  a  claim  on  Greenhorn.  With  James  Mc- 
Cummins  and  Barny  Simmons,  he  went  prospecting 
about  Shasta  Butte  and  lay  camped  back  of  Sheep 
Rock  two  nights  in  a  terrific  snow-storm,  which 
date  he  places  at  the  twenty-first  and  twenty-second 
of  March,  1851.  In  the  fall  of  1851  Steele  joined 
with  Sloan,  Briggs  and  Tiernan,  and  started  an 
express  from  Scott  Bar  via  Yreka  to  Sacramento. 
They  took  up  a  land  claim  two  miles  this  side  of 


Fort  Jones,  and  established  a  trading-post  with  Tier- 
nan  in  charge,  and  another  at  Scott  Bar  with  Sloan 
in  charge.  Steele  road  the  express.  On  one  of  his 
trips  he  was  taken  sick  in  Sacramento,  and  it  was 
reported  that  he  was  dead.  Early  in  the  winter  his 
partners  closed  up  the  business  and  departed.  Steele 
met  Briggs  at  Trinity  Center  with  part  of  the  mules. 
He  took  from  them  his  own  mules  and  took  pos- 
session of  the  ranch  near  Fort  Jones.  He  was  joined 
by  Lucius  Fairchild,  from  Wisconsin.  He  practiced 
a  little  in  his  profession,  and  for  defending  a  man 
charged  with  murder  he  received  four  head  of  beef 
cattle,  worth  $500.  With  these  Steele  &  Fairchild 
started  a  butchering  business.  Fairchild  took  charge 
of  the  market  at  Scott  Bar  and  Steele  stayed  at  the 
ranch.  They  continued  together  till  1855,  when 
Fairchild  returned  home,  became  Secretary  of  State, 
Governor  of  Wisconsin  three  terms,  General  in 
the  army,  Consul  to  Liverpool,  and  Minister  to 
Spain.  Steele  formed  a  law  partnership  with  A.  M. 
Rosborough  and  J.  Berry.  In  1856  he  sold  the 
ranch  and  invested  in  mortgages  on  Scott  River  ditch 
and  lost  it  all.  He  then  went  to  Yreka  to  practice 
his  profession.  He  associated  himself  with  John  D. 
Cosby  from  1857  to  1859,  and  afterwards  partner  of 
F.  E.  Ensign,  and  then  practiced  alone.  In  1867  he 
was  elected  to  the  Assembly.  In  1879  be  was 
chosen  Superior  Judge  of  Siskiyou  county.  He  has 
always  taken  an  interest  in  the  promotion  of  agri- 
culture, and  has  imported  considerable  blooded 
horses,  cattle  and  fowls,  and  in  1S66  was  one  of  the 
founders  and  for  sever-al  years  President  of  the  Sis- 
kiyou County  Ai-gicultural  Society.  In  1843  Mr. 
Steele  married  Miss  Lucia  A.  Hart,  of  Oswego, 
New  York,  by  whom  he  had  four  children,  two 
of  whom  lived  to  manhood.  Edwin,  the  eldest, 
died  in  1878,  at  Lakeview,  Oregon.  William  is 
now  mining  at  Silver  Reef,  Utah.  Their  mother 
died  in  1853,  at  Oswego.  In  1857  he  married  Louisa 
P.  Hamblin,  at  Yreka,  who  died  in  January,  1866. 
He  afterwards  married  Louisa  E.  Lanze,  at  Yreka, 
by  whom  he  has  three  boys,  Hubert  Elijah,  Alden 
John,  and  Orlo. 


"sS^"-' 


£j;. 


>■■& 


-"nile 


RESIDENCE  OF  JUDGE  ELIJAH  STEELE, 

SOUTH  SUBURBS  OF  YREKA, SISKIYOU  CO.  CAL. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


93 


Next,  William  P.  Daingei  field,  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia. His  resilience  was  Shasta.  He  afterwards 
removed  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  was  elected  dis- 
trict judge,  ami  finally  one  of  the  supreme  judges, 
and  died  on  the  bench  in  1880.  He  was  a  man  gen- 
erally respected,  and  the  records  of  the  courts, 
entered  by  his  associates  upon  hearing  of  his  death, 
speak  his  standing  and  worth. 

The  third  was  E.  Garter,  of  Shasta,  a  native  of 
New  York,  a  man  of  much  greater  legal  attain- 
ments than  his  predecessors.  His  history  is  written 
in  the  minutes  of  his  court.  He  died  at  Shasta  in 
1880.  His  son,  Charles  Garter,  is  now  practicing 
his  profession  in  Red  Bluff. 

He  was  succeeded  by  A.  M.  Rosborough,  who  held 
the  office  until  relieved  by  the  constitution  in  estab- 
lishing the  Superior  Court  of  the  county,  to  take  the 
place  of  county  and  district  courts. 

In  this  history  of  district  judges  we  have  omitted 
the  name  of  Judge  Smith,  of  Oroville,  who  was 
elected  district  judge  by  the  suffrages  of  the  voters 
of  this  county,  this  being  then  claimed  as  a  part 
of  that  district.  After  his  election  he  refused  to 
acknowledge  it  as  p'  rtaining  to  his  district,  for  the 
reason  that  in  the  Act  organizing  Siskiyou  county 
from  a  portion  of  Shasta  county,  which  was  in  his 
district,  the  county  was  not  assigned  especially  to 
any  district.  He  died  soon  after  entering  upon  the 
duties  of  his  office. 

Elijah  Steele  was  elected  superior  judge  in  1879, 
and  is  now  holding  that  office. 

The  attorneys  practicing  in  his  court  are  W.  I. 
Nichols,  Calvin  Elgerton,  Hudson  B.  Gillis,  E. 
Shearer,  and  Thomas  A.  Bantz,  of  Yreka;  I.  S.  Rey- 
nolds, of  Fort  Jones;  and  J.  S.  Beard,  of  Etna. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


SCHOOLS. 

The  constitution  of  1849  made  provisions  for  a 
public  school  system,  and  set  apart  the  five  hundred 
thousand  acres  of  land  granted  by  Congress  to  new 
States,  to  he  appropriated  for  the  support  of  these 
schools.  Near  the  close  of  the  first  session  of  the 
L^giJature,  1849-50,  the  committee  on  education 
reported  that  it  was  not  advisable  to  pass  a  bill  tax- 
ing the  peoole  for  the  support  of  the  public  schools, 
and  no  action  was  therefore  taken  in  the  matter. 
On  the  last  day  of  the  session  of  1850-51,  a  bill 
was  passed  concerning  the  common  schools.  The 
first  "school  law"  was  exceedingly  imperfect,  and 
none  of  the  lands  set  apart  for  the  school  sup- 
port were  sold  under  its  provisions.  John  G.  Mar- 
vin, the  first  State  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion, in  his  first  annual  report  to  the  third  Legisla- 
ture, January  5,  1852,  among  other  suggestions, 
recommended  the  creation  of  the  office  of  county 
superintendent.  He  also  reported  the  estimated 
number  of  children  in  the  county  and  the  number 
of  schools  then  being  taught.  As  there  was  then  no 
organized  school  system,  the  schools  were  nearly  all 
private  or  maintained  by  subscription.  The  esti- 
mated number  of  children  between  the  ages  of  four 
and  eighteen  years  was  six  thousand.     During  this 


session  a  better  educational  bill  was  passed  providing 
for  a  school  tax  of  live  cents  on  each  one  hundred 
dollars,  for  three  school  commissioners  in  each  dis- 
trict, anil  granting  counties  and  incorporated  towns 
the  right  to  levy  a  school  tax  not  to  exceed  three 
cents  on  each  one  hundred  dollars.  The  Legislature 
of  1853  amended  the  law  in  several  respects,  among 
other  things  making  the  county  assessor  ex  officio 
county  superintendent.  During  the  session  of  1855 
another  bill  was  passed,  the  most  important  pro- 
visions of  which  were  the  election  of  county  super- 
intendents, limit  of  taxation,  and  the  election  of  city 
boards  of  education  and  city  superintendents.  The 
Legislature  of  1860  provided  for  a  county  board  of 
examination,  to  hi  appointed  by  the  county  super- 
intendent. A  provision  in  regard  to  a  State  series 
of  text  books  was  also  adopted,  but  was  repealed  in 
1861. 

The  senate  committee  on  education,  in  1863, 
referred  the  labor  of  revising  and  codifying  the 
school  laws  to  State  Superintendent  John  Swett. 
He  performed  the  work  in  a  very  satisfactory  man- 
ner, and  much  of  the  completeness  of  the  school  law 
is  due  to  his  advanced  ideas  and  knowledge,  as 
embodied  in  his  report.  The  Legislature  of  1865-66 
pissed  a  complete  school  law  that  suffered  but  few 
alterations  until  the  adoption  of  the  new  constitu- 
tion. Provisions  were  made  for  a  State  series  of 
text-books,  the  establishment  of  graded  schools,  State 
and  county  taxation,  and  the  formation  of  boards 
of  examination.  Mr.  S^ett,  in  his  second  biennial 
report,  1866-67,  gives  thirty-two  points  as  a  sum- 
mary of  the  improvements  effected  by  the  revisions 
of  1863  and  1865.  By  the  new  constitution  the 
management  of  schools  is  given  into  the  hands  of 
the  board  of  supervisors. 

At  every  session  of  the  Legislature  the  matter  of 
the  disposal  of  the  school  lands  was  brought  up,  and 
changes  were  made  in  the  law,  principally  affecting 
the  manner  of  payment.  The  result  of  tinkering 
with  the  matter  was  that  the  five  hundred  thousand 
acres  realized  only  about  six  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars, not  one-half  of  their  real  value. 

The  gentlemen  who  framed  the  first  constitution, 
some  of  them  residents  of  California  but  a  few  days-, 
and  most  of  them  but  few  months,  were  wise  in 
providing  for  a  school  system  when  there  appeared 
to  be  no  children  to  profit  thereby.  Among  the 
thousands  of  men  that  flocked  to  the  coast  in  1849 
and  1850  there  were  few  accompanied  by  their 
families.  Their  only  desire  was  to  procure,  as 
speedily  as  possible,  a  generous  quantity  of  the 
golden  fruit  the  earth  was  yielding  so  bountifully, 
and  then  return  to  their  homes.  Such  being  their 
intention,  it  was  folly  to  encumber  themselves  with 
their  families  and  make  their  loved  ones  endure  the 
hardships  and  privations  of  a  long  sea- voyage  or  a 
journey  across  the  plains,  and  subject  them  to  the 
annoyances  incident  to  pioneer  life  in  a  mining 
camp.  Such  was  the  spirit  that  actuated  men  of 
family,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  great 
majority  of  the  "Argonauts"  were  young,  unmar- 
ried men,  who  had  no  families  to  bring.  Especially 
was  there  a  scarcity  of  women  and  children  in  Sis- 
kiyou county,  for  even  the  few  men  who  had  brought 
their  families  into  California  did  not  care  to  take 
them  to  a  region  of  high  mountains  and  hostile  In- 


94 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


dians  to  follow  the  uncertainties  of  a  mining  excite- 
ment. When  the  county  was  organized  in  1852 
there  were  scarcely  a  dozen  women  within  its  limits, 
and  few,  if  any,  children.  The  emigrants  who  came 
in  1852  were,  in  many  instances,  accompanied  by 
their  families,  so  that  in  the  fall  the  county  assessor 
reported  ninety  children  between  the  ages  of  five  and 
eighteen  years.  The  next  year  he  reported  only 
seventy.  So  few  were  the  children  and  so  scattered 
throughout  the  county,  that  only  in  Yreka  was  any 
thought  given  to  schools.  Even  there  the  proportion 
of  men  without  families  was  so  great  that  but  little 
attention  was  paid  to  educational  matters.  The 
parents  of  the  few  children  were  very  naturally 
desirous  that  they  should  receive  instiuction,  and 
besides  the  parents  were  a  number  of  liberal  spirited 
gentlemen  who  were  willing  to  contribute  to  the 
support  of  a  school.  There  were  many  school  teach- 
ers and  professional  men  in  the  mines,  or  engaged  in 
business,  who  were  thoroughly  capable  of  instruct- 
ing, but  who  could  do  so  much  better,  financially, 
that  they  had  no  desire  to  don  the  pedagogic  robes. 
Finally,  in  1855,  a  public  school  was  opened  in 
Yreka  by  W.  B.  BonnihVld,  supported  by  subscrip- 
tion, and  attended  by  forty-three  scholars.  The 
school  cost  that  year  $1,050.  At  that  time  there 
were  ninet}^- three  children  in  the  county,  according 
to  the  assessor's  report.  In  1855  this  school  was 
still  maintained  by  subscription,  but  the  following 
year  the  new  school  law  went  into  effect,  and  it  be- 
came a  regular  public  school.  The  same  year  a 
school  was  started  at  Hawkinsville  and  Cottonwood, 
and  in  1857,  on  Scott  river  and  Greenhorn,  making 
five  in  all. 

The  following  table  shows  the  gradual  develop- 
ment of  the  public  schools  of  the  county  and  the 
proportion  of  children  attending  them,  as  well  as  the 
cost  of  educating  each  scholar. 


TABLE  OF  STATISTICS  FROM  185 

4  TO  1881. 

TEAE. 

d 

go'  Z 

3"° 

3-'° 

w 
S  P 

la 

2-  ? 
2  o 
5°  """ 

9n 

Pi 

9< 

O  ft> 
OS 

1854 

l 

1 

-m 

43 

$1,050 

$24  65 

1855 

l 

1 

157 

46 

1,097 

23  85 

1857 

5 
13 

5 
14 

5 
14 

385 
670 

172 

325 

1860 

5,483 

16  87 

1865 

18 

19 

21 

720 

409 

9,185 

19  56 

1870 

40 

40 

45 

1,600 

1,142 

17,619 

15  43 

1875 

34 

39 

39 

1,705 

1,309 

27,187 

20  76 

1880 

41 

47 

45 

1,887 

1,464 

25,539 

17  51 

1881 

41 

47 

47 

1,860 

1,523 

25,35  5 

16  60 

The  first  school  in  Yreka  was  a  small  private  one 
in  the  winter  of  1853-54,  and  ihe  following  winter 
another  was  taught  by  Mrs.  William  Morton.  In 
1855,  apublic  school  wasmaintained  by  subscription, 
W.  B.  Bonnifield  being  the  teacher.  In  1856,  a  frame 
school-house  was  built  by  the  subscription  of  the 
citizens,  where  Mrs.  Dr.  Greer  now  resides.  This 
building  now  forms  a  part  of  Elijah  Carrick's  resi- 
dence. When  this  became  too  small,  school  was  held 
in  the  Metropolitan  hotel,  where  the  Episcopal 
church  now  stands.  In  the  fall  of  1869,  the  build- 
ing of  a  new  brick  school-house  was  decided  upon 
and  the  block  upon  which  it  stands  was  donated  to 


the  district  by  Shepard  &  Warren.  An  election  was 
held  January  14,  1870,  to  decide  whether  to  build 
on  this  block,  on  the  old  lot,  or  on  a  lot  offered  for 
four  hundred  dollars,  resulting  largely  in  favor  of 
the  present  location,  in  the  south  end  of  town, 
between  Fourth  and  Oregon  streets.  A  lottery 
scheme  that  was  to  have  ten  thousand  tickets  at  two 
dollars  and  one-half  each,  and  to  divide  thirteen 
thousand  dollars  in  prizes,  was  inaugurated,  but 
failed  and  all  money  paid  for  tickets  was  refunded. 
An  Act  was  then  passed  by  the  Legislature,  author- 
izing the  city  to  issue  bonds  to  the  amount  of  ten 
thousand  dollars,  all  of  which  were  canceled  in  a 
few  years.  On  the  fourth  of  July,  1871,  occurred 
the  great  fire  that  devastated  the  business  portion  of 
the  city,  and  in  the  general  ruin  was  included  the 
Metropolitan,  with  furniture  and  school  appliances. 
The  new  school-house  was  completed  that  fall,  and 
dedicated  by  a  ball  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  Septem- 
ber. It  cost  about  twelve  thousand  dollars,  and  is  a 
fine  two-story,  brick  edifice  containing  school-rooms, 
halls,  cloak-rooms,  etc.,  and  is  well  supplied  with  fur- 
niture, books  and  apparatus.  It  stands  in  the  center 
of  a  splendid  play-ground,  surrounded  by  a  good 
fence,  and  ornamented  by  young  trees. 

Yreka  has  always  had  good  private  schools  in 
addition  to  the  public  one,  the  best  one  being  the 
Yreka  academy,  opened  in  1863,  by  T.  N.  Stone, 
and  continued  a  number  of  years  by  him,  Mr.  Cole 
and  C.  F.  Myers.  In  1869,  the  Catholics  built  the 
St.  Joseph's  academy,  a  convent-school,  conducted 
by  the  Sisters  of  Mercy.  Father  Farley  had  the 
work  in  charge,  and  purchased  the  residence  of  F. 
J.  King,  to  which  considerable  addition  was  made. 
It  is  thirty-six  by  fifty  feet,  with  a  wing  twenty  by 
forty-eight  feet,  on  the  corner  of  Butte  and  Fourth 
streets,  and  has  a  large  yard  running  back  to  Second 
street.  The  total  cost  of  grounds  and  building  was 
about  seven  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  The 
Sisters  arrived  the  next  yt  ar  and  opened  a  school 
lor  both  boarding  and  day-scholars.  The  first  term 
commenced  in  February,  1871,  with  five  scholars, 
but  others  soon  came  and  the  school  flourished  for 
several  years.  For  the  last  year  or  two  the  school  lias 
not  been  successful  financially,  and  it  will  probably 
be  discontinued  this  fall. 

The  first  school  on  Saott  river  was  taught  by 
William  O.  L.  Crandall,  in  the  winter  of  1857-58 
on  Johnson's  Bar.  In  1861  the  first  school  at  Scott 
Bar  was  taught  in  the  old  building  opposite  the 
hotel,  by  Richard  Easton,  and  the  next  year  by  Miss 
Clara  Downs.  In  1863  the  school  was  moved  to 
French  Bar,  but  in  the  next  year  it  was  moved  back 
again  and  has  since  continued  at  that  point.  The 
present  neat  school-building  was  erected  in  1876  at 
a  cost  of  about  a  thousand  dollars,  the  money  being 
subscribed  by  the  citizens. 

The  town  of  Foit  Jones  is  now  erecting  a  fine 
brick  school-building  that  will  cost  about  five  thou- 
sand dollars.  An  election  was  held  June  22,  1878, 
to  select  a  site  upon  which  to  build,  the  contest 
being  between  the  upper  and  lower  ends  of  the 
town.  The  upper  end  won  the  day,  and  the  building 
is  being  erected  on  the  lot  north-east  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church.  For  several  years  the  old 
did  Fellows  hall  has  been  utilized  for  a  school- 
buildino'. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY  CALIFORNIA. 


95 


The  following  history  of  Etna  school  district  was 
prepared  by  J.  S.  Bear. I.  This  school  district  was 
established  February  20,  1865,  and  then,  and  for 
many  years  thereafter,  was  known  as  Centre  district. 
It  was  formed  from  parts  of  Douglass  and  Wash- 
ington districts.  March  4,  18(15,  T.  N.  Stone,  then 
county  superintendent  of  schools,  appointed  George 
Smith,  Joseph  Young  and  D.  H.  Shaw  a  board  of 
trustees  for  the  district.  On  the  same  day  the  board 
met,  organized,  elected  D.  H.  Shaw  for  clerk,  and 
contracted  with  F.  J.  French  to  teach  the  school  for 
five  months  at  a  salary  of  $100  per  month.  The 
first  term  of  school  was  taught  in  the  hall  of  the 
Etna  hotel,  then  under  the  proprietorship  of  Welker 
&  Biown.  The  first  school  census  marshal's  report, 
of  which  any  record  is  shown,  was  made  by  William 
R.  Price,  and  filed  June  30,  1868.  This  report 
shows  thirty-two  boys,  and  twenty-three  girls,  and  a 
total  of  fifty-five  census  children,  forty-five  of  whom 
attended  school  that  year.  From  unofficial  sources 
the  facts  are  gleaned  that  about  twenty-five  chil- 
dren attended  the  first  school,  and  that  the  require- 
ments for  the  school  were  furnished  by  the  parents 
of  pupils. 

.  During  the  same  year  Miss  Clara  Cadwell  (now 
Mrs.  B.  R.  McClurg)  succeeded  Mr.  French  as 
teacher,  and  taught  a  two  months'  term,  in  the  mill 
house,  then  owned  by  Swain  &  Vogan,  and  which 
was  fitted  up  by  the  citizens  for  the  purpose  at  a 
cost  of  sixty  dollars.  The  first  effort  made  toward 
building  a  permanent  school-house  was  on  Novem- 
ber 15,  1865,  when  the  trustees  purchased  from  the 
R.  and  R.  Mill  Company  a  granary  for  sixty  dol- 
lars, which  was  moved  on  to  the  present  school  lot, 
and  remodeled  by  Louis  Fafa,  at  a  total  cost  of  $517. 
Of  this  amount,  $400  was  paid  by  donations,  and  the 
remainder  by  special  tax  and  school  warrants.  This 
building  was  sixteen  by  thirty-two  feet,  interior 
dimensions.  The  constant  increase  of  pupils  in  a 
very  few  }'ears  required  a  building  of  greater  size. 
In  1870,  the  school  trustees  and  members  of  the  I. 
O.  O.  F.  entered  into  an  agreement  to  build  jointly. 
Mr.  Fafa  drew  the  plan  of  building,  which  is  twenty- 
five  by  fifty  feet,  interior  dimensions,  and  two  stories 
high,  each  story  being  twelve  feet  in  the  clear.  It 
is  a  substantial  frame  building,  weather-boarded, 
plastered,  neatly  painted,  and  stands  immediately 
back  of  site  of  old  school-building.  Work  on  the 
building  was  commenced  in  the  summer  of  1870. 
The  framing  and  caipenter  work  were  done  by 
Fistus  Payne,  under  contract  for  $1,650;  plastering, 
by  W.  W.  Thomas,  at  a  cost  of  $316;  painting,  by 
H.  W.  Sullivan,  and  cost  $158.  Tim  additional 
expenses  for  porch,  fencing,  out-buildings,  swelled 
the  total  cost  to  $2,500,  each  party  to  the  agree- 
ment pa}Ting  one-halt'  thereof.  The  school  furniture 
was  made  by  Fafa  &  Doney  for  $120.  This 
indebtedness  was  met  in  the  following  manner:  By 
special  tax,  during  two  years,  $942;  sale  of  old 
building,  eighty-six  dollars;  proceeds  of  school  ball, 
given  January  2,  1871,  $127;  and  donation  of 
money  in  hands  of  W.  K.  Doney,  realized  from  festi- 
val theretofore  had,  forty-five  dollars  The  budd- 
ing was  so  far  completed  as  to  be  ready  for  occu- 
pancy January  18,  1871. 

The  old  school-building  was  sold  to  S.  E.  Stone, 
and  by  him  moved  on  to  the  adjoining  lot,  and,  by 


additions  made  thereto,  constructed  into  a  neat 
dwelling-house.  In  1860  Mr.  S.  E.  Stone  donated 
lands  adjoining  the  school-lot,  which  was  then  too 
limited  in  size  for  school  purposes,  by  which  it 
received  a  frontage  of  150  feet  and  depth  of  278 
feet.  Three  years  ago  the  district  and  Odd  Fellows 
purchased  from  executors  of  Stone's  estate  the  lot 
west  of  school-lot,  so  that  the  latter  now  extends 
from  School  to  Diggles  street.  Locust  trees  have 
been  planted  on  all  sides  of  the  lot  with  a  view  to 
shade  and  ornamentation. 

Peter  Smith,  Martin  Marx  and  J.  S.  Beard  consti- 
tute the  present  board  of  trustees.  The  last  named 
has  been  connected  with  the  school  as  teacher  and 
trustee  continuously  for  twelve  3'ears. 

The  first  twenty  volumes  for  the  school  library 
were  received  May  30,  1866.  Now  the  library 
contains  227  volumes  of  well-selected  and  standard 
historical,  poetical,  biographical,  and  other  literary 
and  scientific  works.  The  school  is  also  supplied 
with  globes,  charts,  and  other  modern  works  for 
successful  teaching. 

Recently  the  trustees  contracted  with  the  Odd 
Fellows  for  the  purchase  of  the  interest  of  the  latter 
in  the  lot  and  building  for  $1,750,  and  now  occupy 
the  entire  building.  The  principal  occupies  the 
upper,  and  the  assistant  teacher  the  lower  room. 
This  arrangement  will  give  ample  school  accom- 
modation for  many  years. 


SCHOOL  DISTRICTS. 


Berryvale — Includes  Strawberry  valley  and 
Soda  Springs.     Created  May  3,  1870. 

Black  Bear — Includes  Black  Bear  mine  and 
vicinity.     Created  May  5,  1879. 

Bogus — Includes  Bogus  creek.  Created  August 
7,  1871. 

Buttevtlle — Includes  Edgewood  and  vicinity. 
Created  February  7,  1865,  from  Shasta  Valley  dis- 
trict. 

Callahan's — Includes  Callahan's  and  vicinity. 
Set  off  from  South  Fork  district  June  1,  1874. 

Cedar  Park — Includes  the  country  east  of  Butte- 
ville  and  south  of  Little  Shasta.  Formed  out  of 
Mount  Shasta  district,  May  3,  1869. 

Cottonwood — Embraces  the  town  of  Cottonwood 
and  vicinity.  Created  June  21,  1856,  the  third  in 
the  county. 

Cottage  Grove — Includes  Cottage  Grove  on 
the  Klamath. 

Douglas — Between  Etna  and  South  Fork.  Cre- 
ated February  7,  I860.  Lost  a  school-house  by  fire 
October  0,  1875;  value  $1,000. 

East  Fork — Includes  east  fork  of  Scott  river  and 
Plowman  and  Norris  valiej's.  Set  off  from  South 
Fork  district  February  25,  1867. 

Etna — Includes  the  town  of  Etna  and  vicinity. 
Created  as  Center  district  February  20,  1865. 
Changed  to  Etna  November  4,  1873. 


96 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


Franklin— West  of  Scott  river  and  north  of 
South  Fork  and  Douglas  districts.  First  defined 
October  4,  1859. 

Forks — Embracing  forks  of  the  Salmon. 

Foothill — East  of  Willow  creek  and  north  of 
Table  Rock  district.     Created  May  4,  1880. 

Greenhorn — Embraces  Greenhorn  and  Forest 
House  region.  Created  October  3,  1859.  Merged 
into  Yreka  district  December  30,  1868.  Again  set 
off  October  7,  1878. 

Hamburg  Bar — Klamath  from  mouth  of  Scott 
river  to  Sciad  valley.     Created  June  1,  1874. 

Hawkinsville — Includes  the  town  of  Hawkins- 
ville  and  vicinity.  Second  district  created  in  the 
county,  May  6,  1856. 

Hooper — Indian  creek.  Set  off  from  Lincoln 
district  June  2,  1874. 

Kidder  Creek — Embraces  Kidder  creek.  Cre- 
ated October  5,  1880. 

Klamath — Embraces  Little  Humbug  and  Bark- 
house  creeks  and  Klamath  river  from  Ash  creek  to 
Scott  river.     Created  March  14,  1870. 

Lincoln — Includes  Mc  Adams  creek.  Created 
May  2,  1865. 

Little  Shasta — Embraces  Little  Shasta  valley. 
Created  in  1857. 

Me  amber — North  of  Quartz  valley  and  west  of 
Oro  Fino.     Created  May  3,  1870. 

Moffitt  Creek — Moffitt  creek  above  Fort  Jones. 
Created  May  2,  1870. 

Mount  Shasta — Between  Edgewood  and  Shasta 
Butte. 

Oak  Grove — Between  Bogus  and  the  Oregon  line. 
Created  July  1,  1877. 

Oro  Fino — The  town  of  Oro  Fino  and  vicinity. 


Set  off  from  Quartz  Valley  district  August  5,  1867. 

Quartz  Valley — Includes  Quartz  valley  and 
vicinity.     Created  February  9,  i860. 

Salmon  River — Embraces  south  and  east  forks 
of  Salmon.     Established  November  6,  1877. 

Sawyer's  Bar — Includes  Sawyer's  Bar  and  vicin- 
ity.    Established  August  2,  1875. 

Sciad  Valley — Includes  Sciad  and  Klamath  to 
county  line.     Created  November  11,  1872. 

Scott  River — Embraces  Scott  Bar  and  vicinity. 
Established  in  1857. 

Scott  Valley — Includes  the  town  of  Fort  Jones. 
One  of  the  early  districts. 

Shasta  Valley — Embraces  Edson's  and  vicinity. 
One  of  the  early  districts. 

South  Fork — South  fork  of  Scott  river  next  to 
Callahan's.     Created  February  1,  1864. 

Table  Rock — Includes  Table  Rock,  upper  end 
Little  Sha-ita  river  and  east  to  Modoc  county.  Cre- 
ated May  2,  1870. 

Union — West  of  Etna  and  south  of  Crystal  creek. 
Set  off  from  the  old  Rough  and  Ready  district 
August  6,  1866. 

Vineland — Includes  Orr's  and  Julien's. 

Washington — North  of  Etna  and  Union,  includ- 
ing Crystal  creek.     Established  October  4,  1859. 

Willow  Creek — Embraces  Willow  creek  and 
vicinity.     Created  February  6,  1860. 

Yreka — The  town  of  Yreka.  Was  first  district 
established  in  1855. 

There  have  been  a  number  of  other  districts  at 
various  times,  that  have  been  consolidated  with 
others  or  divided  up  so  that  to  follow  them  through 
their  many  mutations  is  impossible.  The  above  list 
embraces  all  that  are  in  existence  at  present. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


JOHN  P.  MEAMBER 

Was  born  in  the  city  of  Metz,  in  France,  on  the  first 
day  of  November,  1829.  He  is  the  son  of  Joseph 
and  Mary  Rose  Meamber.  He  emigrated  with  his 
parents  to  the  United  States,  settling  at  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  and  after  a  few  years  spent  there  they 
removed  to  St.  Clair  county,  Illinois,  where  young 
Meamber  worked  on  the  farm  in  summer,  and 
attended  school  in  winter.  In  1850  in  company  with 
his  brother,  "  Gus,"  and  others,  he  crossed  the  plains 
to  California,  arriving  at  Placerville  July  28,  1850. 
After  spending  a  few  months  in  the  mines  he  was 
taken  sick  and  returned  by  steamer  to  his  home. 
After  remaining  East  about  three  years,  he  again 
returned  to  California,  crossing  the  plains  a  second 
time.  This  time  he  located  in  Scott  valley,  on  the 
place  now  owned  by  Charles  Hammond.  He  re- 
mained here  one  year.  In  1854  he  removed  to  the 
place  where  he  now  resides.  He  has  320  acres  of 
land  well  adapted  to  grazing  and  grain  growing. 
He  was  married  September  8,  1851,  to  Miss  Mary 
Royer,  daughter  of  Francis  and  Mary  Royer,  of 
French  Village,  St.  Clair  county,  Illinois.  By  this 
union  there  have  been  seven  children,  viz. :  Josephine, 
born  at  French  Village,  Illinois,  July  20,  1852; 
Charles,  born  March  21,  1854,  died  when  about  two 
years  of  age;  Augustine  E.,  born  February  14, 
1856;  Mary  Rosa,  December  17,  1860;  Sarah  E, 
July  7,  1863;  Matilda,  January  9,  1866;  John 
Francis  Joseph,  January  27,  1874.  Josephine  mar- 
ried Mr.  David  Stan-,  and  resides  at  Oro  Fino. 
Augustine  married  Mr.  James  Moore,  and  resides  on 
Indian  creek.  Mr.  Meamber  is  a  member  of  Fort 
Jones  Lodge,  No.  115,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  In  1862  he  took  a  prospecting  trip 
into  the  northern  part  of  Idaho,  and  at  another 
time  went  with  a  pack-train  into  the  Bannock 
country.  Both  expeditions  were  disastrous  to  his 
interests.  The  first  trip  Mr.  Meamber  says  he  had 
nothing  to  lose,  but  the  second  time  he  did  have 
something  and  lost  it  all.  He  has  now  fully  deter- 
mined to  abandon  mining,  and  pursue  his  business 
on  the  farm,  in  connection  with  which  he  operates  a 
dairy  of  thirty  cows,  gathering  about  5,000  pounds 
of  butter  annually,  which  finds  a  ready  sale  in  the 
mines  close  at  home.  A  view  of  the  residence  can 
be  seen  on  another  page  of  this  volume. 


JOSIAH  DOLL 


Was  the  sixth  child  and  fifth  son  of  a  family  of 
fifteen  children,  and  was  born  in  Stark  county, 
Ohio,  on  March  6,  1829.  His  parents  were  John 
Doll,  a  native  of  Spring  Forge,  York  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  Elizabeth  (Reshir)  Doll,  a  native  of 
Hagarstown,  Maryland.  Both  families  of  the  par- 
ents emigrated  to  Ohio  in  an  early  day,  where  they 
were  married  and  lived  until  the  time  of  their  death, 
which  occurred  in  1868  and  1872  respectively,  both 
having  reached  the  age  of  seventy -two  years.  Josi- 
ah's  parents  were  engaged  in  farming,  and  he  fol- 
lowed this  occupation  till  he  was  eighteen  years  of 
age.  In  1852  he  started  for  California  by  way  of 
the  Isthmus,  in  company  with  a  brother  and  two 
cousins.  For  the  first  two  years  he  was  engaged  in 
mining  on  the  Yuba  river;  then  removed  to  Yreka 


flats,  where  he  mined  in  Blue  gulch.  He  was  there 
joined  by  two  brothers,  late  from  Ohio,  into  whose 
hands  he  put  his  mining  interests  and  went  to 
Scott  valley.  Together  with  William  R.  Oberlin 
he  took  up  320  acres  of  land,  where  he  now  resides, 
and  has  since  continued  to  reside,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  year  spent  in  Idaho  in  1862,  where  he 
was  also  engaged  in  mining.  In  1858  Mr.  Doll 
bought  out  Oberlin's  interest.  He  was  married  on 
the  twenty-second  of  February,  1869,  to  Catharine 
L.  Simon,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Susanna  Simon, 
of  Ashland,  Ashland  county,  Ohio,  who  were  natives 
of  Germany,  where  Mrs.  Doll  was  born,  at  the  vil- 
lage of  Metz,  being  the  eldest  of  four  children.  Five 
children  have  been  born  to  Josiah  and  Catharine 
Doll:  Libbie  S.,  born  December  3,  1870;  Louisa  L., 
born  July  20,  1872,  and  died  February  21,  1874; 
Abbie  Ann,  born  December  9,  1875;  Francis  M., 
born  November  17,  1877;  Charles  Valentine,  born 
February  14,  1879.  Another  member  of  the  family 
is  Josiah  Baer,  who  was  the  son  of  Lydia  Baer,  a 
sister  of  Mr.  Doll.  He  was  horn  January  8,  1865, 
and  has  been  reared  and  cared  for  in  Mr.  Doll's 
family.  In  politics  Mr.  Doll  is  a  staunch  Republi- 
can. He  has  embraced  the  faith  of  the  Dnnkard 
church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Etna  Lodge,  No. 
184,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  being  now 
Past  Grand,  also  of  the  Evening  Star  Lodge,  No. 
186,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  Mr.  Doll,  assisted 
by  his  estimable  wife,  has  labored  patiently  and 
assiduously  to  acquire  a  competence  of  this  world's 
goods,  and  his  success  in  surrounding  himself  with 
the  comforts  of  a  pleasant  home  are  due  entirely  to 
his  careful  management  and  strict  integrity. 


A.  H.  DENNY 


Was  born  in  New  Providence,  New  Jersey,  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1835.  In  1842  his  father  moved  to 
Wisconsin,  landing  in  Milwaukee  in  October,  while 
that  city  was  yet  a  small  burg.  He  had  just 
enough  money  to  hire  a  team  to  drive  his  family 
out  in  the  country  where  he  taught  school  that 
winter;  took  up  government  land  the  next  fall, 
and  it  was  two  years  before  he  was  able  to  buy  a 
yoke  of  oxen.  The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  the 
third  child,  having  a  brother  and  sister  older.  His 
boyhood  was  spent  in  struggles  with  poverty,  inci- 
dent to  pioneer  life.  In  1852  he  and  his  elder 
brother  started  from  Waukesha  county,  Wisconsin, 
with  an  ox-team  to  cross  the  plains,  in  company 
with  a  family,  all  bound  for  the  Pacific  coast,  taking 
the  advice  of  their  parents,  who  thought  it  better  to 
have  a  woman  along  in  case  of  sickness.  They 
soon  left  the  family,  however,  and  struck  out  on 
their  own  hook,  crossing  the  Missouri  at  Council 
Bluffs.  They  had  a  yoke  of  oxen,  a  cow,  light 
buggy,  wagon,  small  stock  of  provisions,  and  one 
dollar  and  fifty  cents  in  money.  But,  by  indomita- 
ble energy  and  pluck,  they  got  through  all  right. 
At  Salt  Lake  they  traded  for  ponies,  packed  from 
there,  and  at  Humboldt  fell  in  with  Heard  &  Lytle, 
of  Siskiyou  county,  who  were  there  trading  for 
fine  stock.  They  drove  for  them  and  stood  watch 
at  night,  being  troubled  a  good  deal  by  Indians  and 
attacked  once  at  Rushing  Springs.     They  picked  up 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


Thomas  Masterson,  of  this  county ;  a  man  named 
Drigs,  together  with  Mrs.  Carroll  and  daughter, 
now  of  Fort  Jones,  Drigs  having  been  despoiled  of 
his  best  cattle  by  the  redskins.  A  few  days  after 
they  fell  in  with  Ben  Wright,  and  were  escorted 
through  the  Modoc  country,  arriving  in  safety  at 
Yreka,  October  29,  1852,  just  seven  months  from 
the  time  of  leaving  their  home  in  Wisconsin.  Mr. 
Denny  and  brother  first  located  on  Deadwood  creek, 
and  came  up  to  Callahan's  in  1854,  which  has  been 
his  post-office  address  ever  since.  They  saw  some 
hard  times  afterwards,  living  on  beefsteak,  without 
salt,  and  paying  for  it  twenty-five  and  thirty  cents 
per  pound ;  and  getting  in  debt  to  Dr.  and  William 
Davidson,  of  Fort  Jones,  and  splitting  rails  to 
liquidate  the  account.  They  mined  three  years  at 
Deadwood  and  Porter's  Flat,  then  bought  some 
cows,  and  A.  H.  Denny  sold  milk  for  three  years 
on  south  fork  of  Scott  river.  He  then  went  to 
farming,  and  was  engaged  in  that  occupation, 
together  with  packing  and  teaming,  for  about  ten 
years.  During  this  time  his  parents  came  to  this 
country,  and  his  two  brothers,  Thomas  and  Joseph, 
and  his  elder  sister.  In  1864  he  went  to  Vermont 
and  married  Eliza  R.  Webber,  who  was  born  in  that 
State  in  1842,  living  with  her  in  Norris  valley  two 
years.  Then  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Callahan's, 
taking  a  share  in  the  store  of  Denny  Brothers,  when 
the  firm  consisted  of  Thomas,  Joseph  and  himself. 
One  year  afterward  he  went  to  south  fork,  keeping 
the  French  Flat  store  there  for  six  years.  Then 
he  returned  to  Callahan's  and  has  remained  ever 
since.  His  wife  lived  seventeen  years  after  their 
marriage.  There  were  born  to  them  nine  children, 
with  dates  of  birth  as  follows:  Emma  J.,  April  1, 
1865  ;  Mary  Alma,  April  26,  1866 ;  Albert  Alpha, 
November  23, 1867 ;  Joseph  Amasa,  December  29, 
1869;  Phcebe  Ann,  September  1,  1871 ;  Eliza  Web- 
ber, July  28,  1873;  Karl  Vandawater,  November 
17,  1876 ;  Robert  Roy,  August  9,  1878 ;  Edmond 
W.,  November  29,  1880.  Mr.  Denny's  father,  who 
was  a  native  of  Northfiekl,  Vermont,  died  at  Calla- 
han's in  1871,  being  seventy-one  years  of  age.  His 
mother  was  born  on  Long  Island  in  1807.  She 
died  at  Callahan's  in  1881,  aged  seventy-five  years. 
Mr.  Denny  is  a  member  of  a  lodge  of  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  also  of  the  Ancient 
Order  United  Workmen.  He  is  an  independent 
Protestant  in  religious  matters.  By  indomitable 
perseverance  he  has  acquired  a  reasonable  compe- 
tence, achieving  everything  by  industry  and  care. 


AUGUSTUS  MEAMBER. 

Joseph  and  Mary  R.  Meamber  were  born  in 
Metz,  France,  about  the  year  1800.  In  1832  they 
emigrated  to  America,  proceeding  to  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri, where  they  settled.  At  this  time  the  family 
consisted  of  three  children:  Augustus,  born  at  Metz, 
France,  December  22,  1827;  John  P.,  born  October 
5,  1829;  and  Adelaide,  September,  1831.  The 
Meamber  family  afterwards  moved  to  St.  Clair 
county,  Illinois,  only  a  few  miles  across  the  river 
from  St.  Louis.     Here,  another  child  (Joseph)  was 


born,  January  1,  1840.  Augustus,  the  eldest,  resided 
there  until  twenty-two  years  of  age,  when  he  deter- 
mined, as  many  a  one  has  since  done;  to  seek  his 
fortune  in  the  far  West.  Having  made  the  neces- 
sary preparations  he  left  his  home  April  1,  1850, 
with  a  mule-team,  for  a  journey  overland  to  Cali- 
fornia. On  the  twenty-sixth  of  July  he  arrived  in 
Hangtown  (Placerville),  and  mined  for  a  short  time 
at  French  gulch.  He  then  freighted  goods  from 
Sacramento  to  French  gulch,  where  he  opened  a 
trading-post,  but  left  January  1,  1851,  for  Scott 
Bar,  going  on  foot  and  driving  four  pack-mules. 
On  the  first  of  February  he  reached  Scott  river, 
where  he  established  a  trading-post,  and  did  some 
mining.  That  summer  he  went  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, purchased  twenty-three  mules  and  several 
horses,  and  started  back  with  them.  Before  reach- 
ing Yreka  the  Modoc  Indians  stole  all  his  stock,  of 
which  he  afterward  recovered  only  two  or  three 
head.  In  the  spring  he  returned  to  Scott  river, 
and  built  a  bridge,  which  he  owned  and  controlled 
for  several  years.  In  1854  he  opened  a  hotel  on 
the  trail  leading  from  Fort  Jones  to  Scott  Bar, 
nine  miles  from  Fort  Jones,  and  known  as  the 
Mountain  House.  He  conducted  this  place  until 
1862,  being  also  engaged  in  packing  during  that 
time.  He  was  mar-ried,  September  20,  1860,  to  Miss 
Emma  J.  Noble.  Children  have  been  born  to  them 
as  follows:  Alice  H,  born  June  21,  1861;  Charles 
H.,  November  5-,  1862;  George  B.,  December  26, 
1864;  Fanny  R.,  January  23,  1867;  Lillian  M., 
February  26,  1869;  John  P.,  December  11,  1871; 
Grace  C.  A.,  June  24,  1877;  Joseph  F.',  April  6, 
1879.  In  1862,  Mr.  Meamber  made  a  trip  to  Idaho, 
leaving  his  wife  at  Scott  Bar.  It  was  there  he  had 
the  roughest  experience  of  his  life,  on  one  occasion 
going  from  Florence  to  Long  Bar,  on  Salmon  river, 
on  snow-shoes.  It  took  him  four  days  and  nights 
to  make  the  trip,  during  which  time  he  was  without 
food  or  shelter.  In  1863  he  came  back  to  Cali- 
fornia, and  has  since  remained.  During  the  Modoc 
war  he  was  overseer  of  the  government  pack-trains. 
He  is  a  member  of  Owen  Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons. 


JOSEPH    GRAY. 


Joseph  Gray  is  of  Portuguese  nativity,  having 
been  born  in  Florence,  Portugal,  in  the  year  1842. 
His  father's  name  was  Antone.  Joseph  lived  with 
his  parents  in  Florence  until  he  was  sixteen  years 
of  age,  when,  having  caught  the  American  fever, 
he  crossed  the  intervening  ocean  and  settled  in 
Massachusetts.  At  New  Bedford  he  worked  at 
farming  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old,  when 
he  took  another  long  journey  westward,  by  steamer, 
his  destination  being  San  Francisco.  Upon  his  arri- 
val he  proceeded  directly  to  Siskiyou  county,  and 
engaged  in  mining  at  Yreka  for  two  years.  At  this 
time  he  began  dairying  in  Shasta  valley,  and  con- 
tinued at  the  work  until  1879,  when  he  purchased 
the  Evans'  dairy  farm,  near  Fort  Jones,  which  he  is 
now  the  possessor  of.  He  thoroughly  understands 
his  business,  and  is  making  a  success  of  it  by  care- 
ful management  and  persistent  industry. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


97 


Total  number  enrolled. 


Valuation  of  school  ap 
paratus 


Valuation    of    school    li 
hraries 


Valuation  of  lots,  school 
houses,  and  furniture. 


Total  Receipts. 


Total  Expenditures. 


Number     of      m  onthi 
school  was  maintained 


Percentage  of  attendance 
on  average  number  be 


longing 


Average  number  belong- 


No.  of  schools  in  District. 


Number  of  children  be- 
tween five  and  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  who 
have  not  attended 
school  at  any  time  dur- 
iug  the  school  year 


Number  of  children  be- 
tween five  and  seventeen 
years,  who  have  attend- 
ed only  private  schools 
at  any  time  during-  the 
school  year 


Number  uf  children  be- 
twe  n  five  and  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  who 
have  attended  public 
schools  at  any  time  dur- 
ing the  school  year 


Number  of  children  u 
der  five  years  of  age 


Total  number  of  census 
children  between  five 
and  seventeen  years  . . 


?,  c  ■ 


V 


t.   ^    e2    W 

S3>  1 

3   ^C  +j 


13 


lOiOOiCOvoOOOOOOiOOOt— idiOOiO'CiOOO'COOOOOOOOO^OiQOOOO 
QniOt-Ot-it50h-OK50!M^iOn(.NCCCItsClh.Oi-Hf,LOOOO'OOOOi-OOOl>'#OiCO 

i— li— I   (N   i— I  I— IM(N  i— <  Wrtrtr-I  i — li — li — I   '^J-I   ' — I   CT-i   0"^   i — I   i — I   r— I  ,— <   r-i   t4( 


ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 

000000»00000»OOOOOOOOOOOOOiOOOOC-»OiOOOOOOOOOOO 

mCO^OOiflWfQWiOWWi-iWMF-iOlNWIMUCOTOWiOir^^COO  IMr- iCC«m-*Cv--*0 

m ^_ 

IM  ■+  C.  1>  O  ^  35  ?1  iO  «  O  W  »0  - -5-0«^CCCO-l(«^«0  3)'*^'Mai>C«:h'I>COOiQ'JDI>iOO« 

i>otOH'o^)>x^Hno^^oih.coo!oniooo©^^Li!OOo«)ocor.HOiOw5WQrt 


r-»  co  ss  io 

**  C-)  tO  CD 

»o  to  x  io 


Ot0«t^00Oh-(M3)^'*WCi|>'*OO'Mi«i'Q0M^OO 

r-  t-i  re  cm  -f  to  go  -*  ?-i  q-i  co  -*  QO  rs  i— i  —  io  o  r-  »o  -*  to  io  to  — < 

iCiO'OiO'O^OiOCiiOOirjOii'tCiQi-iOiOiOi.OiOCHO 


i-<  ijq  m  o  a  oo  w  n  - 'Ococn-^iM-tifo 

to  lO  tO  — i  CO  Ci  Cft  -35  01  CM  00  CO  i— i  iO  r>-  o 

ioi>io^iomiooco3ico 


^^>    -^/    V.^    l»'l   t-"   -i-1    1»^    «nl    <■'•>    U^l    "J-i    v»*    L"~   1-J    ^-1    lij   !."•   >— I    ,™-p    '»'     .  «    ^_J    Wl    JJ    ^_J    i 1    «V    "i^    W    I""  l"*   W1    "" 

Tt<Mrtooot^Mi>N^oio^co"^*^iHrtC5M^KLOh.mnwco^ift«o«3)'*oc5-f« 

C0^^CSmOCJ^^(N^CiOI>C-J;lOOr-iC0-fK00'*O«W0ll>«rt^-H-*O7l-H3lOh.O 


00         lO         lOiOCOO-iiOlOCOCOnO'M 


»Wr-IOOOOOOlOOtOtDa  — W  iOai3J^©(ONCOOlO!OCC^COHH  iO  r-  1^  ■*  O  Q  'O  O  M  O  i<  CN 

rtOJ«!NlOOWi-iCO         OCOi— iGMCO'— iiOCN-— (CMCJGOrO.— li-Hr-^Oi— ir-HLOi— (OC-t  h  «  m  ii  •*  W  h 

f-H  r-l  (M 


P5«COH(MOWOCOMh»'OTCCinNQOM'*'-,H«MQOi- 1  ^  "O  |>iO  l>«« 


;- 

CO 

<N 

CO 

COOOCOrllOO>ll>rtfflHt>100NC!LOQOOQMiflONH^O^OXOXCO'#l>C)t-.COHir5CJHOH 

^^ONCN^WCO^lNwQtNHCN^^r-OI^^^OOC-lMMrH^rH  ^   ^    ^   _  „Wrt  <#   f-h   f- 

r— I  (N 


iiOTioniHi>iHrt':ip:?i'*ocooowiOHi>anoOT)ii>OMMWiot>o«iHco^ionooo 

CJO^COCOeOCN^CN^^-^COF-HCOCOCNC;COi^CO^O^C'lF-1cN^C^^r^ 


N  ^  tN  «  3  cS  5  M  3i  nn  2  eft      co  w  <n  era  co  ^  co  ^  cs  eo  <N  ^h  ph  »o  <n  r-t  t*  (N  co  co  HHiOHH-^csa 


HO^^aoo^«w3iiOMM^?i3;^i>3)io^w«Hco©NO^ncoH^oonjj^«.NX 

P_,,_iP_,r_,CNr-<eN'— »CN  m  i— i  WhhiQh  i-h  EN  -*  CN  •— i  ■— <  CN  i-h  f- i  CO  i— I  OJ  tO  <N  CM  ■— i  ># 


oo^HWNHMjironr-Hinc-.nono^XHtoooOiiooMco^w^rtOOOQOooN 

MrtrH^fOriClMPi  lOrt  pHrtHMHrHHHOHrt  F-ltN  CO    M   «    C-  — «    CO  ON  ^ 


r— ■      CO 


go 


2        g   t»3  S=h 

-"      n>      H      O      l3       hD 

Wpqpqwoo 


3       F-i 

bC  to 


C^  -P  D    fl   fe 

O     O     Sh  .« 


2     tJ     U  > 


^    po    li 


4)    CD 

^   > 


3  >^ 

...fflii  a! 


3>£ 
>  «5 


n-1   tan 


-*   p    «  ^    S  .2  ' 


"3.2  2^=^ "^ 


^3   o 

«5> 


c3afip|lfi(S^cwwwwS33lliQQ§l^l«MM«Ht>k^t?tS 


cs  2  ° 

>   rt   o 


^    °    O    fi 

S  »  <u  g 


0)     D    -h     L     ^ 


^    H    rt 
g    rt.O 


^     -;    3)     ni    3 

01  c>^ 

0)    .„  o 
to  O 

P      t-l      W>   fS         -     — 


p-14  ° 

0^5 


w  o 

t4-i      o  +3  ±  xr 

O    CD  — ■  tN 


S 

s  '3 


O      C      „      BJ 


.^3'J3 


w    o  "  4i  ="  >" 

£  oi-rt  2  °  ° 


louses   I 
e  gradu. 
rs  who  1 
County 
ssment  1 
4;  num 

■    5  ojfl  «    . 

0         •=    3    "    3 

r  of 

tiers 
r  of 
who 
eoui 

le  te 

r>    33    r-j    a;    C    G 

S  u^     S     O  C-l 

sorts    .  0 

Njw^S-g 

adobe, 
;  num 
iomas, 
nber  0 
ober,  1 
grant 

§  g  ^  ^  ^  :-s 


bO 


rt    O 


o     CO     r- 

•a* 

*-   «    >   A  3-^ 

0  S  ^  o  2  s 

zz  <4h   «-■  cd  9  3 

•  fK            CD     M  «  d 

ro  ^   oj    <D  K 

3  £L     ra  o  a 

3    Ph^i    o  O  S 

O      »      OCS«+4-fl 

-3   cd   l.  "  r3  -  o 

.     &0  CD  "C  *  rf 

^     M     C  0)  «» 


s  „- 


!s  S 


~-^5 

Cfl     r-     'i 

y_,     43       •-      P     O 

°  §  "  S  U  2 

J  S 1 3    .  ^ 
■^  oj  9  o  aiS 

R    u  f>n   o    i    2 

d  g^^  g  So 


O  J3 


c8 

BSO'S   p.. 2 

S»?  2  s-S 
3  -  m  3  n  -e 

S   w   ^   ri   .     ^ 
bO  43    rt    ..  4j    y 

i;  js  ii  00  a  «-, 

«  «  h  .or 

H    CD  ■+?    «  ^  -^ 

F^5 


■<2  g 


E7  rt 


c^d 


to  OS 

O  f-h^j  43  CO  CO 

h  to    S    J3  ^* 

3  CD    3    0^2 

^3  DOf^  CS 


^^ 


-  a  h 

Ma)  3  d 

>>a>   °  °  "^ 

c  °  3  §  3 


98 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

JOURNALISM. 
MOUNTAIN   HERALD. 

The  establishment  of  a  newspaper  in  the  mount- 
ains was  no  easy  task  in  the  early  days.  Between 
Yreka  and  Shasta  there  was  no  road,  an:l  all  sup- 
plies were  brought  over  a  rough  and  rugged  mount- 
ain trail  by  trains  of  pack-mules,  at  an  expense  of 
fifty  eents'per  pound.  It  was,  then,  no  inconsider- 
able undertaking  to  bring  the  material  of  a  printing 
office  into  the  mountain  mines  and  establish  a  paper. 
In  the  spring  of  1853,  Yreka,  then  two  years  old, 
was  a  town  of  vigorous  growth.  Business  thronged 
her  streets  and  prosperity  perched  upon  her  doors. 
A  newspaper  was  more  than  a  luxury,  it  was  a 
necessity.  Several  citizens  became  security  for  the 
purchase  of  the  material  to  the  amount  of  $1,500, 
and  an  old  press  and  the  necessary  material  were 
brought  over  the  mountains  to  Yreka,  strapped  upon 
the  backs  of  mules,  at  the  rate  of  fifty  cents  per 
pound  for  transportation.  On  the,  eleventh  of  June, 
1853,  the  first  number  of  the  Mountain  Herald 
was  issued  by  Thombury  &  Co.,  the  proprie- 
tors being  C.  N.  Thornbury,  W.  D.  Slade,  and 
S.  F.  Van  Choate.  It  was  a  four-page,  sixteen- 
column  paper,  the  pages  being  only  nine  by  sixteen 
inches  in  size.  Small  as  it  was,  it  was  a  great 
achievement  for  a  little  town  over  a  hundred  miles 
up  into  the  mountains.  The  paper  was  printed 
upon  a  little,  old  fashioned  hand-press,  which  was 
claimed  by  its  owners,  as  were  half  a  dozen  other 
presses  by  their  owners,  to  be  the  one  upon  which 
the  California,  the  first  paper  in  the  State,  was 
printed  at  Monterey  in  1846.  This  claim  was  never 
substantiated,  and  was  based  chiefly  upon  the  fact 
that  it  louked  as  if  it  might  have  been;  it  was  cer- 
tainly old  enough.  Van  Choate  soon  retired;  a 
larger  press  and  new  material  were  added  to  the 
office,  and  the  paper  was  increased  in  size.  The 
columns  were  conducted  by  Thornbury,  who  was 
the  leading  spirit.  The  paper  was  independent  in 
tone,  and  prospered  until  1855,  when  the  Know- 
Nothing  party  threatened  to  establish  an  opposition. 
Rather  than  submit  to  the  competition  Thornbury 
and  Slade  sold  the  paper  to  Dr.  J.  Lytle  Cummins, 
who  represented  J.  W.  A'Neal,  H.  G.  Ferris,  D.  D. 
Colton,  and  J.  Tyson.  The  paper  was  designed  to 
be  an  organ  of  the  Know-Nothing  party,  and  in 
order  to  make  a  radical  change  the  old  name  was 
dropped  and  it  was  rechristened  the 

YREKA   UNION. 

It  had  been  published  under  its  new  name  but  a 
short  time,  having  announced  itself  as  independent, 
when  A'Neal  became  dissatisfied  and  withdrew,  on 
account  of  the  leaning  of  the  paper  toward  the 
Democratic  party.  He  brought  suit  for  damages  in 
the  District  Court  against  his  late  partners,  for  fail- 
ing to  make  the  paper  an  American  organ,  which 
suit  was  lost  by  a  disagreement  of  the  jury.  The 
Union  was  then  published  as  a  Democratic  paper 
by  J.  Tyson  &  Co.,  which  political  faith  it  has  ever 
since  maintained,  and  under  the  name  of  the  Weekly 
Tribune  still  appears  in  the  interests  of  that  party. 
The    paper    was    successively    edited     by    George 


Freaner,  J.  D.  Turner  and  Calvin  B.  McDonald. 
In  1858  H.  H.  Brown  and  J.  Tyson  were  the  pub- 
lishers. For  a  time,  in  1859,  it  was  published  tri- 
weekly, the  weekly  being  continued.  In  the  fall  of 
1859  the  paper  fell  into  the  hands  of  D.  Ream  & 
Co.,  being  conducted  by  George  F.  Price.  It  soon 
passed  to  H.  K.  White  and  Robert  L.  Tilden.  In 
18G0  A.  J.  Starlings  published  it,  and  from  1861  to 

1864  H.  K.  White.  It  was  then  published  for  short 
periods  by  William  Page  and  George  W.  Hackett, 
by  M.  D.  C.  Houck,  and  by  Hackett  &  Bassett.     In 

1865  it  was  purchased  by  a  number  of  Democrats, 
among  whom  was  Hon.  William  Irwin,  and  placed 
in  that  gentleman's  charge,  who  conducted  it  with 
great  ability  until  his  election  to  the  gubernatorial 
chair  in  1875.  In  the  winter  of  1872-73,  while 
Irwin  was  in  his  seat  in  the  Senate  at  Sacramento, 
the  editorial  pen  was  ably  wielded  by  Thomas  Merry. 
The  publication  was  continued  by  J.  W.  Bird  until 
April  3,  1880,  when  it  was  discontinued  on  the  plea 
that  it  was  unprofitable. 

WEEKLY   TRIBUNE. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1880,  the  Union  material 
was  purchased  by  Rudolph  Remme,  and  on  the 
third  of  June  appeared  the  first  number  of  the 
Tribune  supporting  the  Democratic  party.  R.  B. 
Loos  became  interested  in  September,  the  firm  name 
being  Remme  &  Loos,  but  sold  his  interest  to  his 
partner  in  December,  and  withdrew  from  the  firm. 
The  paper  contains  thirty- two  columns,  and  its 
pages  are  eighteen  by  twenty -four  inches  in  size. 
It  appears  every  Thursday,  and  is  well  filled  with 
local  news,  selected  miscellany,  and  advertisements. 
It  also  has  a  good  job  office.  The  zenith  of  its  influ- 
ence was  reached  while  under  the  editorial  charge  of 
Governor  Irwin,  ranking  as  one  of  the  leading  jour- 
nals of  the  State. 

SISKIYOU   CHRONICLE. 

In  May;  1856,  having  withdrawn  from  the  Union, 
J.  W.  A'Neal  began  the  publication  of  the  Chron- 
icle in  connection  with  S.  P.  Fair  and  Jonas  Brown, 
A'Neal  being  the  editor.  For  awhile  it  supported 
the  American  party,  and  then  leaned  toward  the 
southern  wing  of  the  Democracy,  with  Captain  W. 
D.  Fair,  husband  of  the  notorious  Laura  Fair,  as 
editor.  Afterwards  W.  I.  Mayfield  and  H.  S.  Stipp 
published  it,  followed  by  J.  A.  Glascock  and  C.  N. 
Thornbury.  In  1859  Mayfield  again  took  the  paper, 
J.  W.  Oliver  editing  the  columns.  September  24, 
1859,  Mayfield  rented  the  office  and  material  to  J. 
Dumont  &  Co.,  and  the  Chronicle  ceased  to  exist. 

NORTHERN   JOURNAL. 

With  the  material  of  the  Chronicle  J.  Dumont  & 
Co.  began  the  publication  of  the  Northern  Journal, 
the  editorial  department  being  under  the  charge  of 
James  M.  Bassett,  present  proprietor  of  the  San 
Francisco  Golden  Era.  In  1860  the  firm  became 
Dumont,  Fowler  &  Co.,  Bassett  still  being  editor. 
Bassett  soon  after  became  both  editor  and  publisher, 
and  began  issuing  the 

YREKA    WEEKLY   JOURNAL. 

In  the  spring  of  1861  the  paper  was  again  taken 
in  charge  by  W.  I.  Mayfield,  Joshua  Triekel,  and 
J.  R.  Curry,  who  owned  the  material  and  had  leased 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


99 


it  to  the  former  publishers.  They  immediately  com- 
menced the  publication  of  the 

SEMI-WEEKLY   JOURNAL. 

It  appeared  as  an  independent  paper  until  July, 
1S61,  when  it  was  purchased  by  the  present  pub- 
lisher, Robert  Nixon,  who  commenced  and  has  con- 
tinued to  issue  a  Republican  paper.  At  that  time 
the  State  was  overwhelmingly  Democratic,  and  the 
Republicans  had  but  few  newspaper  champions,  the 
Journal  being  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  many  that 
now  give  utterance  to  the  principles  of  Republican- 
ism. It  soon  took  a  front  rank  and  became  the 
leading  exponent  of  the  new  party  in  northern 
California,  a  position  it  has  ever  since  maintained. 
Soon  after  the  election  of  1861  the  issue  was  reduced 
to  once  a  week,  under  the  name  of  the  Weekly 
Journal,  the  size  being  soon  after  increased.  In 
18G2-G3  the  paper  was  again  published  semi- 
weekly — the  exciting  war  times,  the  heat  of  political 
feeling,  and  the  pressure  of  competition  requiring 
this  move  to  be  made  by  both  papers. 

Its  great  rival  for  popular  favor  was  the  Union,  and 
the  rivalry  and  political  differences  between  these 
two  spurred  them  on  to  energetic  exertions,  resulting 
in  giving  Yreka  two  of  the  most  ably  conducted 
country  papers  on  the  coast.  Mr.  Nixon  has  stood 
manfully  at  his  post  for  the  past  twenty  years,  and 
expects  to  die  in  the  harness.  In  June,  1880,  he 
commenced  issuing  the  Journal  semi-weekly,  and  it 
now  appears  every  Wednesday  and  Saturday  morn- 
ing. The  paper  has  thirty-two  columns  of  local, 
editorial,  miscellany,  and  advertisements,  is  neat  in 
appearance  and  made  up  in  an  artistic  manner. 
Each  page  is  eighteen  by  twenty-four  inches.  A 
fine  assortment  of  job  type  is  in  the  office,  and  Mr. 
Nixon  is  a  job  printer  of  long  experience. 

SCOTT   VALLEY    MIRROR. 

In  18G0  Dr.  D.  M.  Davidson  purchased  material, 
including  the  old  hand-press  on  which  the  Herald 
was  first  printed,  and  commenced  the  publication  of 
a  paper  with  the  above  name,  in  Fort  Jones.  In 
June,  1861,  the  material  was  purchased  by  Dumont 
&  Fowler,  and  with  it  the 

NATIONAL    DEMOCRAT 

Was  instituted  in  Yreka.  At  that  time  the  Union 
was  the  recognized  organ  of  the  Douglas  wing  of  the 
Democratic  party,  while  the  Democrat  supported 
the  Breekenridge  wing,  until  a  fusion  was  effected 
in  1862,  when  it  died  a  natural  death. 

SEMI-WEEKLY  SCOTT  VALLEY  NEWS. 

The  first  number  of  this  paper  was  issued  at  Fort 
Jones  by  B.  H.  Evans,  in  the  year  1878.  Mr. 
Evans  by  his  energy  built  up  the  Nexus  and  success- 
fully opened  a  wide  field  of  circulation  for  it.  The 
material  was  al  new  and  the  dress  of  the  paper  was 
neat  and  tasty,  as  it  still  continues  to  be.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1879,  Mr.  Evans  sold  to  Norcross  &  Curtis, 
who  continued  the  publication,  Mr.  Norcross  with- 
drawing in  the  fall  of  1879.  In  June,  1880,  E.  S. 
Culver  became  associated  with  Mr.  Curtis,  and  the 
Neivs  is  now  published  by  Curtis  &  Culver.  It  is 
announced  as  "an  independent  newspaper,  devoted 
to  home  interests,"  and  its  columns,  well  filed  with 
topics  of  local  importance,  show  the  interest  its  pub- 
lishers take  in  local  affairs.     It  has  twenty-four  col- 


ums,  and  its  pages  are  fifteen  by  twenty-two  inches. 
With  a  good  assortment  of  job  type  the  paper  is 
prepared  to  do  excellent  job  work. 

ETNA  POST. 

Another  paper  was  added  to  the  list  in  June  last, 
by  R.  Beers  Loos,  recently  connected  with  the 
Tribune.  The  Post  is  a  neatly  printed  and  spirited 
weekly,  and  is  published  at  Etna.  It  is  devoted  to 
the  interests  of  Siskiyou  county  and  especially  to 
Scott  valley.  Politically,  it  is  strictly  independent, 
speaking  freely  on  all  subjects. 

These  papers  are  the  representatives  of  Siskiyou 
county  throughout  the  State,  and  upon  their  excel- 
lence depends  in  a  great  measure  the  opinion  formed 
of  the  people,  business  and  resources  of  the  county 
by  those  unable  to  make  a  personal  examination.  If 
this  fact  was  realized  better  by  the  business  men  of 
the  county,  the  papers  would  receive  more  hearty 
encouragement  and  support.  Whatever  attracts 
attention  to,  and  places  before  the  world  the  resour- 
ces and  capacities  of  a  community  redounds  to  the 
benefit  of  all,  and  business  men,  so  ready  in  most 
respects  to  act  upon  this  theory,  seem  strangely 
backward  in  their  support  of  the  newspapers,  their 
leading  exponents  and  representatives  abroad. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  DEATH   PENALTY. 

The  extreme  sentence  of  the  law  has  been  passed 
upon  five  individuals  in  this  county,  and  upon  three 
of  them  was  it  carried  into  effect.  In  the  other  two 
cases  the  penitentiary  was  substituted  for  the  gal- 
lows. Many  murders  have  been  committed  and  a 
number  of  men  convicted  and  sent  to  prison  for 
varied  terms,  but  it  is  unnecessary  to  fill  these  pages 
with  such  unpleasant  occurrences,  save  where  a 
sentence  of  death  was  passed.  To  the  chapter 
entitled  "  The  Court  of  Judge  Lynch  "  the  reader  is 
referred  for  the  particulars  of  all  executions  other 
than  by  due  process  of  law. 

JAMES    BROWN. 

After  a  trial  in  the  District  Court  for  the  murder 
of  a  man  named  Antonio,  James  Brown  was  sen- 
tenced by  Judge  J.  Montgomery  Peters,  December 
30,  1854,  to  be  hanged  Friday,  March  2,  1855. 
Before  the  day  of  execution  arrived,  his  sentence 
was  commuted  to  imprisonment  for  life,  and  after  a 
few  years  in  San  Quentin  he  was  pardoned  by  the 
governor  and  liberated. 

SAMPSON  CROWDER. 

Early  on  Sunday  morning,  August  3,  1S56,  the 
news  went  flying  swiftly  along  Scott  river  that  a 
cruel  murder  had  been  committed  at  French  Bar. 
The  body  of  S.  R.  Lewis  was  found  with  a  knife- 
wound  in  it,  while  near  by  lay  Sampson  Crowder 
drunk,  grasping  in  his  hand  a  large  pocket  knife. 
On  the  floor,  also,  lay  a  large  knife,  the  property  of 
another  man. 

They  had  all  been  on  a  drunken  carouse  the  night 
before,  and  these  and  a  few  other  circumstances 
were  all  the  evidence  of  the  crime  that  could  be  pro- 
duced. Crowder  was  at  once  taken  into  custody 
by  Constable  Barney,  and  Justice  Daniel  F.  Finle'y 


100 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


held  an  inquest,  which  occupied  but  a  short  time 
and  resulted  in  a  verdict  that  S.  R.  Lewis  came  to 
his  death  by  a  knife-wound  inflicted  by  the  hand  of 
Sampson  Crowder.  Lewis  was  a  native  of  New 
York  and  a  man  of  average  standing  in  the  com- 
munity, and  great  indignation  was  felt  by  his 
friends.  They  began  to  gather  and  talk  of  violence, 
encouraged  and  assisted  by  a  great  many  who, 
though  not  particularly  friends  of  Lewis,  were 
ready  to  assist  at  any  time  in  meting  out  pioneer 
justice  to  a  murderer.  About  noon  they  made  a 
rush  for  the  building  where  the  prisoner  was  con- 
fined, and  were  met  at  the  door  by" the  justice,  con- 
stable, and  a  number  of  citizens,  who  were  desirous 
of  upholding  the  law  and  sought  to  dissuade  the 
mob  from  their  purpose.  The  crowd  demanded  the 
immediate  surrender  of  Crowder,  and  were  met  with 
a  refusal.  They  then  called  for  the  evidence  taken 
at  the  inquest  to  be  read,  and  when  this  had  been 
done  they  became  doubly  excited,  and  demanded 
ao-ain  to  have  Crowder  given  up  to  them.  When 
they  were  again  refused  the}'  made  a  determined 
attack  upon  the  house,  the  officers  refraining  from 
filing  upon  them  and  thus  avoiding  a  futile  and 
bloody  conflict.  The  doors  were  battered  in  and 
the  boards  torn  off  the  side  of  the  building,  laying- 
bare  the  room  in  which  the  prisoner  was  confined. 
Crowder  was  seized  by  rough  hands  and  hustled 
along  the  center  of  a  crowd  of  five  hundred  men,  to 
a  gulch  a  short  distance  down  the  stream,  where 
preparations  were  made  to  hang  him  at  once.  This 
proceeding  was  a  little  too  summary  to  suit  the  idea 
of  justice  entertained  by  many  in  the  crowd,  and  a 
murmur  of  disapproval  went  up,  ending  in  shouts 
of  "  Give  him  a  trial,"  "  Try  him  first."  John  G. 
Berry  made  a  speech  advising  them  to  let  the  law 
take  its  course,  or  at  least  to  give  him  a  trial.  A 
vote  was  then  taken,  and  the  result  was  almost 
unanimous  for  giving  the  man  a  trial.  They  pro- 
posed to  hang  him  anyway,  but  thought  it  would 
look  better  if  they  went  through  the  form  of  a  trial 
first.  The  next  step  was  to  select  a  jury,  and  this 
was  the  rock  on  which  they  stranded.  As  men 
were  solicited  to  form  one  of  the  body  they  would 
decline  the  responsibility.  They  were  willing  to 
hang  the  man,  but  did  not  care  to  have  their  names 
so  prominently  associated  with  the  act.  There  were 
some,  also,  when  asked  to  form  part  of  the  jury, 
who  said  they  were  opposed  to  the  whole  proceed- 
ing, and  as  one  after  another  made  this  remark, 
they  gathered  courage,  and  boldly  declared  that  it 
was  a  shame  to  so  contravene  the  law,  and  recom- 
mended that  he  be  returned  to  the  custody  of  the 
authorities.  Only  six  of  that  whole  crowd  expressed 
a  willingness  to  become  jurymen.  A  vote  was  then 
taken  on  the  question  of  delivering  him  again  to  the 
officers,  and  the  whole  crowd  stepped  across  the  line 
in  a  body.  This  settled  the  matter,  and  Crowder 
was  taken  back  to  town,  surrendered  to  the  con- 
stable, and  by  him  taken  at  once  to  Yreka  and 
safely  lodged  in  the  county  jail. 

The  law's  delay,  so  annoying  and  subversive  of 
justice,  was  not  experienced  in  this  case.  The  grand 
jury  found  an  indictment  for  murder,  and  Crowder 
was  brought  up  for  trial  in  the  District  Court  before 
Judge  J.  Montgomery  Peters,  on  the  twenty-fifth  of 
August,  but  three  weeks  after   the  deed  was  com- 


mitted. The  case  was  prosecuted  by  District  Attor- 
ney R.  B.  Snelling,  assisted  by  Eli  H.  Stone  and  J. 
D.  Turner,  while  John  D.  Cook  and  John  D.  Cosby 
conducted  the  defense.  The  evidence  was  entirely 
circumstantial,  and  the  defense  had  no  witnesses 
whatever.  The  trial  lasted  four  days,  and  on  the 
twenty-ninth  the  jury  returned  into  court  and  were 
discharged.  They  had  been  out  all  night,  and  were 
unable  to  agree,  one  man  holding  out  for  acquittal. 
Another  jury  was  impaneled  the  next  day,  and  a 
new  trial  proceeded  with,  ending  in  a  verdict  of 
murder  in  the  first  degree,  after  a  trial  of  four  days. 
On  the  fifth  he  was  brought  before  Judge  Peters, 
and  by  him  sentenced  to  be  hanged  on  Saturday, 
the  first  of  November. 

On  the  day  before  the  execution  Crowder  wrote 
a  history  of  his  life,  by  which  it  appears  that  his 
name  was  Sampson  White  Crowder.  He  was  born 
in  Attala  county,  Mississippi,  February  16,  1832, 
his  father  being  a  pious  Methodist,  and  his  mother  a 
half-blood  Choctaw.  In  1845  the  family  moved  to 
Red  river,  in  the  Choctaw  Nation,  where  he  lived 
till  he  came  to  California  in  1854.  He  mined 
at  various  points  in  Siskiyou  county  until  the  day 
Lewis  was  killed.  He  had  been  a  victim  of  intem- 
perance, but  for  four  months  had  not  tasted  a  drop 
of  liquor  until  this  fatal  night  he  yielded  to  tempta- 
tion, became  drunk,  and  all  that  happened  after- 
wards was  as  unknown  to  him  as  to  the  rest.  The 
gallows  was  erected  on  the  east  side  of  the  creek, 
near  the  cemetery,  and  when  the  day  of  execution 
arrived,  Sheriff  Samuel  P.  Fair  summoned  a  body- 
guard of  fif  ty  men  to  escort  the  condemned  man  to 
the  scaffold,  and  preserve  order  during  the  execu- 
tion. At  twenty  minutes  past  two  Crowder  stepped 
upon  the  fatal  platform,  attended  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Baker,  and  gazed  upon  the  faces  of  three  thousand 
people  assembled  from  miles  around  to  see  him  die. 
He  made  a  short  speech,  in  which  he  warned  his 
hearers  to  beware  of  drink,  that  whisky  had 
brought  him  where  he  now  stood,  and  said  that  if 
he  killed  Lewis  he  knew  nothing  of  it.  After 
standing  there  forty  minutes  the  drop  fell  at  three 
o'clock,  and  Sampson  Crowder  was  ushered  into 
eternity. 

Scarcely  a  man  can  to-day  be  found  in  Siskiyou 
county  who  beheves  that  the  bloody  deed  was  com- 
mitted by  him  whose  life  paid  the  penalty  upon  the 
scaffold.  The  man  who  owned  the  knife  found  by 
the  body  of  the  murdered  man  disappeared  the  day 
after  the  murder. 

DANFORTH    HARTSON,   OR   SAILOR   JIM. 

Sailor  Jim  was  one  of  the  characters  of  Siskiyou 
county,  one  of  the  bad  characters.  He  had  shot 
several  Indians,  and  was  looked  upon  with  suspicion 
by  many,  some  of  whom  thought  him  connected 
with  the  murder  of  old  man  Cosby,  though  in  his 
confession  he  denied  having  had  anything  to  do 
with  it.  In  the  spring  of  1857  he  shot  John  W. 
Burke,  a  most  estimable  citizen,  at  Canal  gulch,  near 
Hawkinsville,  for  which  he  was  arrested  and  tried. 
Burke  made  a  dying  statement,  charging  Hartson 
with  his  death,  which  was  admitted  in  evidence. 
The  jury,  also,  went  to  view  the  scene  of  the  crime. 
The  trial  commenced  May  6,  1857,  and  closed  on 
the  thirteenth,  with  a  verdict  of  murder  in  the  first 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


FESTUS  PAYNE 

Is  the  eldest  child  of  a  family  of  five  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  Daniel  R.  and  Mahala  (Sweet)  Payne,  who 
were  natives  of  Saratoga  county,  New  York,  where 
Festus  was  born,  January  22,  1824.  He  remained 
at  home  with  his  parents  on  the  farm  until  nineteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  started  out  for  himself,  learn- 
ing the  carpenter's  trade,  which  pursuit  he  has  fol- 
lowed until  the  present  time.  In  1854  he  removed 
to  Garden  Prairie,  Boone  county,  Illinois.  In  1859, 
late  in  the  fall,  he  started  from  New  York  to  San 
Francisco,  and  from  there  came  direct  to  Scott  val- 
ley, where  he  arrived  on  the  fourth  or  fifth  of  April, 
1860,  and  entered  at  once  into  milling  and  carpen- 
tering. He  is  now  sole  owner  of  the  establishment 
on  French  creek  known  as  Payne's  mills,  the  most 
extensive  of  its  kind  in  Siskiyou  county,  with  a 
capacity  of  5,000  feet  per  day;  propelled  by  what 
is  called  a  hurdy-gurdy  wheel,  fifty  inches  in  diam- 
eter, and  estimated  at  twenty-five  horse-power,  sup- 
plied by  a  thirteen-inch  pipe,  1,200  feet  pressure, 
equal  to  120  feet  perpendicular  pressure.  The 
machinery  consists  of  a  double  circular  saw,  an 
edging  machine,  for  making  first-class  lumber,  two 
planing  machines,  a  shingle  mill,  ripping  saw,  and 
feed  mill  for  crushing  oats,  corn  and  barley,  all 
under  the  personal  supervision  of  Mr.  Payne  him- 
self, and  in  first-class  condition.  The  supply  of 
water  is  inexhaustible,  and  the  mill  is  run  to  its 
full  capacity  eight  months  in  the  year.  In  con- 
nection with  the  mills  there  are  abundant  lands  for 
gardening  and  grazing.  The  location  is  a  very 
picturesque  one  in  the  mountains.  On  March  17, 
1868,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Martha  M. 
Goodspeecl,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Goodspeed,  of 
Oswego,  New  York.  They  have  no  children.  Mr. 
Payne  belongs  to  a  long-lived  family.  His  father 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four,  and  his  mother  is 
yet  living,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-three.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  at  Fort  Jones.  In 
religion,  he  is  a  Protestant,  and  in  politics,  a  Repub- 
lican. As  will  be  seen  in  the  illustration  on  another 
page,  there  are  numerous  buildings,  for  the  care 
and  preservation  of  all  products  on  the  place;  barns 
for  ha}',  stable  for  stock,  blacksmith  shop,  and  dry 
houses  for  lumber  and  fruit. 


A.  J.  GOODNOE 


Was  a  native  of  the  town  of  Vestal,  Broome  county, 
New  York,  and  son  of  Luther  Goodnoe.  On  the 
sixth  clay  of  May,  1857,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  L.  J.  Jones,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  W.  and 
Atlanta  Jones;  she  was  a  native  of  Topsham,  Orange 
county,  Vermont.  They  were  married  in  the  town 
of  Bonus,  Boone  county,  Illinois,  and  resided  and 
did  business  in  Chicago  until  1860,  when  they 
removed  to  California.  After  spending  a  short  time 
in  Quartz  valley,  he  started  for  the  Salmon  river 
country.  On  reaching  The  Dalles,  in  Oregon,  how- 
ever, he  repented,  and  returned  to  Siskiyou  county ; 
remained  a  short  time  at  Oro  Fino.  While  mining 
on  Indian  creek  he  met  with  a  severe  accident, 
which  disabled  him  for  hard  labor,  and  after  opera- 
ting in  the  Coyote  gulch  claim,  now  the  Baker 
claim,  until  1868,  he  removed  to  Fort  Jones,  and 
there  remained  in  the  employ  of  H.  J.   Diggles  for 


a  short  time,  and  then  engaged  in  merchandising  on 
his  own  capital.  His  education  was  limited,  as  his 
mother  died  while  he  was  an  infant,  and  he  was 
left  to  the  charities  of  strangers ;  was  very  observ- 
ing, and  one  of  the  self-made  men,  who  are  generally 
successful.  In  this  respect  he  was  not  an  excep- 
tion. Being  possessed  of  commercial  honor,  indus- 
trious and  careful,  he  won  his  reward.  He  died 
September  1,  1872,  leaving  to  his  wife  a  good 
property,  unincumbered.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Odd  Fellows,  and  is  interred  in  their  beautiful  cem- 
etery near  Fort  Jones.  Six  years  after  his  death, 
and  on  the  twenty-eighth  day  of  June,  1878,  Mrs. 
Goodnoe  was  united  in  marriage  to  R.  D.  Stone, 
of  the  town  of  Perry,  New  York,  now  engaged  in 
merchandising  at  Fort  Jones.  A  view  of  Mrs. 
Stone's  residence  will  be  found  on  another  page  of 
this  volume. 

THOMAS  PATTON 

Is  the  thirteenth  child  and  ninth  son  of  John  H.  and 
Eliza  Jane  Patton,  who  were  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  they  were  married,  afterwards  remov- 
ing to  near  the  town  of  Warren,  Trumbull  county, 
Ohio,  where  Thomas  was  born,  on  the  twenty-sixth 
day  of  March,  1836.  At  thirteen  years  of  age  he 
went  with  his  parents  to  Lake  county,  Indiana,  and 
after  about  two  years  spent  there,  he  started  for  the 
Pacific  coast.  Upon  reaching  Council  Bluffs  he 
decided  to  tarry  there  for  a  time,  and  on  the  ninth 
day  of  May,  1853,  he  renewed  his  journey  across  the 
plains.  He  arrived  in  Sacramento  valley,  near  the 
site  of  the  town  of  Anderson,  September  6,  1853, 
and  at  once  went  to  Scott  valley  and  began  work 
on  a  farm.  He  has  continued  a  resident  in  the 
valley  most  of  the  time  since.  At  one  time  he  went 
to  Nevada  to  mine,  which  proved  a  disastrous  under- 
taking for  himself  and  partner,  financially,  but  was 
a  valuable  experience.  Three  of  their  party  were 
killed  by  Indians  and  their  property  stolen.  In  1856 
he  volunteered  with  the  "  Ninety  and  Nine  "  others 
from  Siskiyou,  to  go  and  fight  the  Indians  in  the 
Rogue  River  valley.  He  was  in  several  skirmishes, 
the  most  disastrous  of  which  was  the  fight  in  Majr 
on  a  small  stream  between  Crescent  and  Sayler 
diggings;  when  out  of  twenty-one  horses  twenty 
were  killed,  and  of  the  twenty-one  men  who  rode 
them,  only  seven  escaped.  Mr.  Patton  thinks  he 
was  the  only  survivor  who  rode  a  horse  out  of  the 
engagement,  and  his  recollection  is  that  they  did  not 
kill  an  Indian.  In  1864  he  purchased  the  farm  he 
now  owns.  He  has  315  acres  of  good  land,  well 
adapted  to  general  husbandry.  He  deals  mostly  in 
stock.  Mr.  Patton  was  married  November  23,  1873, 
to  Josephine  E.  Carraco,  who  was  born  in  Sutter 
county,  California,  daughter  of  Protus  and  Emily 
Carraco.  By  this  marriage  there  are  two  children : 
Minnie  Eudora,  born  September  5,  1874,  and  Leila 
Estella,  born  June  2,  1880.  He  belongs  to  a  long- 
lived  race,  as  out  of  a  family  of  sixteen  children, 
brothers  and  sisters  of  his,  all  lived  to  be  grown  men 
and  women.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Fort  Jones 
Lodge,  No.  115,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
of  which  he  has  been  vice-grand  ;  also  a  member  of 
the  encampment.  A  view  of  his  residence  can  be 
seen  on  another  page. 


HISTOEY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


LUCIUS   STAFFORD   AVILSON. 

John  Wilson,  grandfather  of  the  above,  came  from 
Londonderry',   Ireland,    and    was    known    as    "Big 
John."     He    was   a  triplet,    and  at  his  birth    was 
easily   put   in   a    quart   measure.     His    son,    John 
Wilson,  was  father  of  the   subject  of  this  sketch; 
the  mother  was  Laura  Hay  ward.       Lucius  Stafford 
W  ilson  was  born  in  Genesee  county,  New  York, 
September  25,  1838.      He   attended    the    common 
schools  of  his  day,  and  received  the  usual  education 
of  boys  of  his  time.     When  bu'.  nineteen  years  of 
ace,  he  sailed  fur  California,  rounding  the  cold  and 
stormy  Horn,  and  landing  in  San  Francisco  in  April, 
1853.     That  fall  he  came  to  Siskiyou  county,  and 
went  to  the  south  fork  of  Scott  river,  where  his 
brother,  John  P.  Wilson,  was  working  with  Samuel 
Cole,  Abram   White,  Thomas  White  and  Jeremiah 
Day.     He  kept  a  trading-post  that  fall  and  winter 
for  M.  B.  Callahan,  located  about  three  miles  above 
Callahan's  ranch,  and  in  the  spring  of  1854  bought 
it  and  kept  it  on  his  own  account  for  a  year.     The 
ranch  he  now  lives  on  was  located  in  1852  by  his 
brother   and   partners,  and  in   1855  he  purchased 
Mr.  Cole's  interest  and  moved  upon  the  ranch  to 
live,  and  has  ever  since  made  it  his  home.     He  has 
owned  it  all  for  a  number  of  years.     The  old  log 
house,  hewn  by  John  Fell,  and  the  first  hewn  house 
in  the  valley,  shows  in   the    view  of   Mr.  Wilson's 
place,  with  a  flag  over  it.     It  was  his  first  home 
here,  but   is    now  the  headquarters  of  a  flock    of 
chickens.     In  the  upper  story  of  that  old  house  was, 
organized  in  1855  the  first  division  of  Sons  of  Tem- 
perance in  the  valley,  of  which  John  P.  Wilson  was 
the   first    Worthy    Patriarch.      Mr.    Wilson  'was" 
married   December   3,  1862,   to   Miss    Martha    M. 
Smith,  born  at  Middletown,  Des   Moines   county, 
Iowa,  May  8,  1844.     They  have  been  blessed  with 
six   children  : — Oulton,  born    September  14,  1863  ; 
Laura   May,    Septemher   7,    1866  ;    John    Milton, 
October  12,  1870;  Lucius  Stafford,  Jr.,  March  25, 
1875 ;  Albert  Garfield  (deceased)  and  Arthur  Earle, 
August  7,  1880.     The  first  two  were  born  in  the 
old  log  house.      Mr.  Wilson   is   a   man   of  marked 
character   and  stern  integrity.     He   has   held    the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace  for  several  years,  and 
was  for  one  term  an  associate  justice  of  the  old  court 
of  sessions.     His  love  of  square  dealing  and  known 
integrity    of   character   eminently  fit  him   for  the 
position  of  justice,  in  which  he  enjoys  the  confidence 
and   respect  of  his  neighbors.      He   is  one  of  the 
successful  men  of  Scott  valley. 


CHARLES  HOVENDEN 

.  Is  a  son  of  George  and  Hepzebah  Hovenden.  and  was 
born  in  England,  October  15,  1828.  His  parents 
were  farmers,  and  Charles  remained  at  home  work- 
ing with  them  until  fifteen  years  old,  when  he  and 
his  brother  Alfred,  now  at  Hubbard,  Marion  county, 
Oregon,  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1844. 
They  first  settled  in  Peoria  county,  Illinois,  but  later 
moved  into  Fulton  county  in  the  same  State.  There 
he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  in  1849  he  and 
his  brother  emigrated  to  Oregon,  crossing  the  plains 
with  the  usual  ox-team.  Later  in  the  same  year 
thev  journeyed  on  to  California,  spending  the  winter 
of  1849-50  at  Sacramento.  In  the  spring,  in  com- 
pany with  Doctor  Williams  and  E.  M.  Root,  he 
started  up  the  Sacramento  river  in  a  scow  boat,  and 
after  landing  at  Marysville  and  going  on  to  the  Yuba 
river,  they  began  mining  about  four  miles  from 
Foster's  Bar.  During  the  next  summer  he  worked 
in  Indian  valley  for  the  purpose  of  changing  the 
course  of  the  stream,  and  returned  to  Marysville  in 
the  fall  and  engaged  at  his  trade  for  a  short  time. 
In  1852  he  began  packing  into  Indian  valley,  where 
he  opened  a  store,  which  he  sold  in  a  short  time. 
He  continued  to  pack,  however,  until  1856.  In  1857 
he  sold  out  and  went  into  Oregon  to  purchase  cattle, 
then  came  to  Scott  valley  and  purchased  the  farm 
on  which  he  now  lives.  In  1860  he  returned  to 
Illinois  to  visit  his  father,  but  on  reaching  home 
learned  that  he  had  been  deceased  three  months. 
April  22,  1861,  he  was  married  to  Sytheria  E. 
Harkness,  a  native  of  Peoria  county,  Illinois,  and  at 
once  set  out  for  a  journey  across  the  plains  to  their 
home  in  Siskiyou.  By  this  union  there  have  been 
five  children,  Lillian  A.,  born  March  1,  1862;  Row- 
ena  E.,  June  15,  1863;  Cora  Antoinette,  November 
14,  1865;  Nellie  M.,  August  6,  1867;  Charles  W., 
December  30,  1875.  He  has  one  of  the  finest  farms 
in  Scott  valley,  containing  645  acres;  all  under  good 
fence  and  cultivation.  The  residence  was  erected  in 
1874-75,  and  is  full  two  stories  high  with  thirteen 
gnod-sized  rooms,  and  thoroughly  furnished  through- 
out. He  has  ample  barns  and  granaries  for  the  care 
of  all  stock  and  grain,  and  is  one  of  the  successful 
men  of  Siskiyou  county. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


101 


degree.  On  the  eighteenth,  Judge  -J.  Montgomery 
Peters  sentenced  him  to  be  hanged  on  Wednesday, 
July  15,  1857.  The  prosecution  was  conducted  by 
the  District  Attorney,  E.  H.  Stone,  and  the  prisoner 
was  ably  defended  by  S.  Hurlbut  and  Riley  Hay- 
den,  who  tried  in  vain  to  secure  for  him  a  new  trial. 
Sheriff  Fair  prepared  for  him  the  same  gallows  on 
I  which  Crowder  had  been  executed,  and  when  the 
day  arrived  conducted  the  doomed  man  to  the  scene 
of  his  death,  escorted  by  the  members  of  Siskiyou 
Hook  and  Ladder  Company.  When  everything 
was  ready  the  fatal  drop  was  made  to  fall,  and 
every  one  was  horrified  to  see  the  criminal's  head 
slip  out  of  the  noose,  after  sustaining  a  severe  jerk. 
Sailor  Jim  fell  clear  through  the  platform  to  the 
ground,  from  which  he  was  raised  in  a  half-conscious 
condition  and  again  assisted  upon  the  scaffold. 
While  they  were  making  preparations  to  hang  him 
the  second  time,  he  said,  "  For  God's  sake,  don't  do 
that  again."  This  time  more  care  was  observed, 
and  soon  his  lifeless  body  hung  at  the  end  of  the 
rope.  All  the  agony  of  mind,  if  there  is  such,  that 
is  suffered  by  a  criminal  during  the  preliminaries  to 
an  execution,  Sailor  Jim  parsed  through  twice. 
The  awakening  from  what  he  no  doubt  imagined 
was  death  to  a  realization  that  he  must  go  through 
the  torture  again,  must  have  been  terrible  to  him. 
No  wonder  he  entreated  them  not  to  make  another 
blunder.  He  made  a  confession,  in  which  he 
admitted  the  killing  of  Burke,  but  claimed  it  to  have 
been  in  self-defense. 

THOMAS  KING. 

After  lying  in  jail  two  years,  and  receiving  two 
trials,  hoping  for  a  release  from  the  extreme  penalty 
of  the  law  until  a  few  weeks  before  his  death, 
Thomas  King  was  executed  on  the  twenty-third  day 
of  June,  1865,  for  a  heartless  and  causeless  murder, 
for  dealing  a  death-blow,  unprovoked  and  unex- 
pected. He  was  born  in  Ireland,  and  when  about 
twelve  years  of  age,  left  his  home  because  his  parents 
had  punished  him  for  some  offense.  For  several 
years  he  roamed  about  the  United  Kingdom,  the 
associate  of  bad  characters,  until  for  the  commission  of 
some  felony  he  was  transported  to  Australia.  When 
the  Crimean  war  was  raging,  a  regiment  was  raised 
among  the  convicts,  by  order  of  Lord  Raglan,  the 
men  being  given  their  libertj' at  the  close  of  the  war. 
In  this  regiment  King  enlisted,  and  after  the  fall  of 
Sebastopol  received  his  discharge.  He  made  his 
way  to  Halifax,  and  from  there  to  California,  an  1 
to  this  county.  After  ruining  at  Humbug,  Scott  Bar 
and  various  other  places,  he  went  to  the  south  fork 
of  Scott  river,  where  he  committed  the  terrible  crime, 
for  which  the  law  exacted  the  penalty  of  his  life. 

On  the  second  of  July,  1863,  having  already 
become  considerably  under  the  influence  of  liquor,  he 
entered  French's  saloon,  and  began  flourishing  a 
knife  in  a  threatening  manner,  and  was  deprived  of  it 
by  the  barkeeper.  Among  others  in  the  saloon  was 
James  Duffy,  who  had  been  drinking,  and  whom 
King  accused  of  having  his  knife.  The  accusation 
was  denied,  and  upon  being  informed  where  the 
knife  was,  King  demanded  it  from  the  barkeeper 
and  it  was  restored  to  him.  Throwing  the  weapon 
upon  the  floor  and  striking  a  tragic  attitude,  he 
exclaimed:  "There  lays  me  dagger.     Whoever  picks 


it  up,  dies  by  me  hand."  Not  dreaming  of  danger, 
Duffy  stooped,  picked  up  the  weapon  and  laid  it 
upon  the  counter,  saying,  'You  wouldn't  kill  me, 
your  best  friend,  would  you?"  "Yes,  I  would,"  he 
said,  as  he  took  up  the  knife  and  made  several  false 
motions,  touching  Duffy's  breast  with  the  handle, 
while  the  victim  stood  there  smiling,  unconscious  of 
danger.  Suddenly  King  reversed  the  knife,  and 
with  a  quick,  hard  blow,  buried  it  deep  in  Duffy's 
heart,  the  murdered  man  sinking  to  the  floor  with 
the  exclamation,"  You  have  cut  me."  King  made  a 
pass  with  the  bloody  weapon  at  the  barkeeper,  and 
then  sprang  to  the  door  and  fled.  The  horrified 
witnesses  of  the  tragedy  stood  for  an  instant  in  blank 
amazement,  and  then  hastened  in  pursuit  of  the 
murderer,  whom  they  soon  overtook  and  secured 
after  a  slight  resistance. 

He  remained  in  jail  until  the  following  February, 
when,  after  a  trial  lasting  three  days,  he  was  found 
guilty  of  murder  in  the  first  degree,  and  was  sen- 
tenced by  Judge  E.  Garter  to  be  executed  Friday, 
March  18,  1SG4.  An  appeal  to  the  Supreme  Court 
gained  for  the  condemned  man  a  new  trial,  based  upon 
the  construction  of  a  statute,  and  not  upon  the 
merits  of  the  case.  He  was  again  tried  in  Septem- 
ber, and  was  sentenced  to  be  hanged  on  Friday, 
November  4,  1864,  but  an  application  to  the  Su- 
preme Court  produced  a  stay  of  proceedings  until 
the  case  could  be  reviewed  by  that  body.  While 
awaiting  the  decision  of  the  court,  on  Saturday,  the 
eighth  of  February,  1865,  he  made  a  bold,  and  for  a 
time,  successful  attempt  to  regain  his  freedom. 
Confined  in  the  jail,  which  was  the  old  wooden 
building  first  erected  by  the  county,  were  also 
George  Foster  and  Robert  Ferry,  both  under  a  sen- 
tence to  the  penitentiary  for  grand  larceny,  and 
McGuire,  a  deserter  from  the  army.  The  last  named 
was  allowed  in  the  corridor,  and  was  in  the  habit  of 
calling-  for  water.  About  eight  o'clock  on  the  night 
in  question  Foster  succeeded  in  getting  out  of  his 
cell,  and  after  releasing  the  prisoners  from  their  cells, 
had  McGuire  call  for  water,  as  usual,  and  when 
Jailor  McCullough  opened  the  door  he  was  seized, 
gagged,  and  bound,  and  the  prisoners  escaped,  having 
their  irons  still  upon  them.  They  had  been  gone 
but  twenty  minutes  when  their  flight  was  discovered. 
The  town  was  aroused,  and  people  started  in  all 
directions  in  search  of  the  fugitives.  About  daylight 
Ferry  was  caught  at  Cherry  creek  by  John  Hen- 
dricks and  others,  having  been  unable  to  get  rid  of 
his  irons.  About  two  o'clock  Sunday  afternoon 
William  Short  and  Charles  Brown  found  King  in  a 
clump  of  manzanita  bushes,  near  Deming's  old  brick- 
yard, but  a  short  distance  south-west  of  Yreka. 
His  long  confinement  of  nineteen  months  had  so 
weakened  him  that  he  had  been  unable  to  proceed 
further  or  to  remove  the  irons  from  his  limbs, 
although  one  of  them  he  had  succeeded  in  sawing 
partially  through.  A  party  composed  of  Livy 
Swan,  A.  V.  Burns,  J.  Babb,  A.  D.  Crooks,  Sherman, 
Stone,  and  Groots,  in  pursuit  of  Foster  and  McGuire, 
stopped  Monday  night  at  Cherokee  Mary's,  a  resort 
for  thieves,  nine  miles  from  Yreka.  About  four 
o'clock  Tuesday  morning  the  two  fugitives  ap- 
proached the  house  and  were  ordered  to  surrender, 
and  upon  attempting  to  escape  were  fh-ed  upon  by 
Jesse    Sherman,  with  a  shot  gun,  and  Foster  was 


102 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


wounded  in  the  head  and  captured,  while  McGuire 
escaped  by  flight.  Foster  had  succeeded  in  removing 
his  irons,  and  now,  severely  wounded,  was  conveyed 
again  to  jail,  while  McGuire  went  to  Fort  Jones, 
and,  finding  escape  impossible,  gave  himself  up. 
Foster  and  Ferry  had  the  terms  of  their  sentences 
increased,  while  McGuire,  who  would  have  been 
released  in  a  few  days,  was  sent  to  San  Quentin  for 
two  years  for  his  little  exploit  in  jail-breaking. 

George  Foster,  alias  Charles  Mortimer,  alias 
Charles  J.  Flinn,  was  the  leader  in  the  jail  delivery, 
a  hardened  and  reckless  felon,  and  ended  his  career 
upon  the  scaffold.  He  was  first  sent  to  San  Quentin 
from  San  Francisco  for  three  years,  and  when  his 
term  expired,  went  back,  chloroformed  a  man  and 
robbed  him  of  $1,800,  was  arrested,  and  escaped 
from  officer  Rose,  by  knocking  him  senseless  and 
nearly  cutting  his  throat.  He  then  came  to  Siski- 
you county,  and  was  soon  sentenced  to  three  years 
for  grand  larceny,  which  term  was  increased  to 
seven  years  for  his  participation  in  the  jail  delivery. 
After  his  release  he  continued  his  career  of  crime, 
finally  murdering  a  woman  in  Sacramento,  Septem- 
ber 19,  1872,  for  which  act  he  paid  the  penalty 
upon  the  gallows,  not,  however,  until  his  brother  lost 
his  life  in  a  desperate  attempt  to  release  him  from 
the  jail  in  which  he  was  confined  while  awaiting 
the  day  of  his  execution. 

The  Supreme  Court  having  reviewed  the  case  and 
sustained  the  decision  of  the  lower  court,  King  was 
brought  before  Judge  Garter  in  May,  and  was  sen- 
tenced to  be  hanged  on  Friday,  June  23,  1865. 
Preparations  were  accordingly  made  by  Sheriff  A. 
D.  Crooks  by  erecting  a  gallows  in  the  jail-yard. 
King's  conduct  during  the  trials  had  been  one  of 
bravado  and  defiance,  and  this  he  maintained  to  the 
last,  being  quite  abusive  while  on  the  scaffold.  He 
remarked  as  they  were  leading  him  from  his  cell  to 
the  place  of  his  death,  "I'm  the  handsomest  man 
here,  if  I  am  going  to  be  hung."  But  few  specta- 
tors were  admitted  within  the  jail  walls  to  witness  the 
last  act  of  this  terrible  drama,  which  culminated  at 
nine  minutes  to  two  o'clock.  The  murderer  who  thus 
received  the  just  punishment  lor  the  crime,  nearly 
two  years  after  he  had  plunged  the  fatal  knife  into 
an  innocent  and  unsuspecting  bosom,  was  buried  a 
little  east  of  town,  near  the  remains  of  Crowder  and 
Sailor  Jim,  executed  several  years  before. 

WILLIAM   WILLIAMS. 

Influenced  by  passion  and  whisky,  William  Wil- 
liams committed  a  murder  for  which  he  was  once 
under  sentence  of  death,  and  now  occupies  a  cell  in 
the  penitentiary,  where  he  is  doomed  to  remain 
till  death  comes  to  his  relief.  He  was  an  old  sailor, 
short  and  heavy,  with  a  dark  complexion,  and  a 
hasty  temper.  For  years  he  herded  stock  on  the 
Siskiyou  mountains,  and  was  familiar  with  every 
hill  and  ravine  in  the  range.  Ill-feeling  existed 
between  him  and  John  Todhunter  about  the  killing 
of  a  colt,  which  culminated  in  murder.  On  Sun- 
day, May  8,  1870,  Williams  went  to  Cottonwood, 
where  he  spent  his  time  in  getting  drunk  and  mak- 
ing threats.  About  six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  he 
invited  several  to  come  and  see  him  kill  Tod- 
hunter, and  then  went  to  Brown's  saloon,  where  his 
victim  was  playing   cards,   whom  he   immediately 


caught  by  the  collar.  Todhunter  raised  a  chair  to 
strike  him,  but  bystanders  interfered,  and  a  scuffle 
ensued,  in  which  Williams  drew  a  knife,  and  was 
thrown  to  the  floor  under  a  billiard  table.  Todhun- 
ter then  rushed  into  the  street  followed  by  the 
frenzied  man  with  the  knife,  who  chased  him  across 
the  street.  The  fugitive  picked  up  a  stone  to  defend 
himself  with,  but  Williams  dodged,  under  his  raised 
arm,  and  plunged  the  knife  into  his  side,  penetrating 
the  heart.  Tne  wounded  man  fell  to  the  ground, 
and  commenced  striking  out  with  his  feet  to  keep 
his  assailant  away.  The  others  then  rushed  up  and 
secured  Williams,  while  his  victim  raised  slowly  to 
his  feet,  and  then  fell  back  dead.  The  murderer 
was  conveyed  to  the  Yreka  jail,  where  he  spent 
several  days  in  weeping  and  lamenting  the  crime 
his  passions,  inflamed  by  liquor,  had  led  him  to 
commit. 

On  the  thirtieth  of  January,  1871,  his  trial  was 
commenced  in  the  District  Court,  before  Judge  Ros- 
borough, and  lasted  five  days.  He  was  defended  by 
E.  Steele  and  J.  Berry,  while  the  prosecution  was 
conducted  by  District  Attorney  Edwin  Shearer, 
assisted  by  Calvin  Edgerton.  After  a  deliberation 
of  two  hours  the  jury  brought  in  a  verdict  of  mur- 
der in  the  first  degree.  The  day  for  pronouncing 
judgment  was  postponed  from  time  to  time  to  allow 
the  defense  to  prepare  a  motion  for  anew  trial,  which 
was  presented  and  denied  on  the  twenty-fourth  of 
February,  and  sentence  of  death  pronounced,  the 
day  of  execution  not  being  fixed.  Later  a  warrant 
was  issued  by  Judge  Rosborough,  appointing  Friday, 
April  21,  1871,  for  the  execution  of  the  sentence. 
A  supersedeas  was  obtained  from  the  Supreme 
Court,  and  the  case  reviewed  before  that  body  on 
appeal,  the  points  relied  upon  being  the  absence 
of  a  material  witness,  refusal  of  the  judge  to  give 
certain  instructions,  and  the  denial  of  a  motion  for  a 
new  trial.  It  took  a  whole  year  to  reach  a  decision; 
and  April  23,  1872,  Chief  Justice  Wallace  filed  an 
opinion,  in  which  the  others  concurred,  affirming  the 
judgment  of  the  lower  court,  in  which  he  said: 
"We  discover  no  error  in  the  action  of  the  court 
below  in  any  of  the  proceedings  of  the  trial.  The 
various  legal  propositions  involved  were  correctly 
placed  before  the  jury  by  the  learned  judge  in  an 
elaborate  charge,  remarkable  for  its  clearness  and 
force."  May  29th,  T.  A.  Bantz,  district  attorney, 
moved  for  judgment,  and  Judge  Rosborough  set 
Friday,  July  26,  1872,  as  the  clay  for  the  execution. 

Efforts  were  then  made  to  have  his  sentence  com- 
muted to  imprisonment  for  life.  Williams  frequently 
declared  he  never  would  be  hanged,  and  attempted 
to  make  good  his  assertion  by  escaping  from 
jail  on  the  evening  of  the  second  of  July.  Sev- 
eral months  before  he  had  succeeded  in  cutting 
his  irons,  but  the  fact  was  discovered  before  he 
effected  his  escape.  By  the  aid  of  outside  friends  he 
secured  a  file,  saw,  hatchet,  and  auger.  On  the 
night  referred  to  Sheriff  Morgan  was  in  Etna,  and 
Jailer  Ed.  O'Neil  was  down  town,  leaving  him  a 
clear  field  to  work  in.  The  rivet  that  secured  the 
chain  to  the  rings  about  his  ankles  was  quickly  filed 
off,  and  then  he  commenced  upon  the  hinges  of  his 
cell  door.  After  partially  sawing  these  off  he  aban- 
doned the  task  and  made  an  opening  in  the  door  by 
boring   holes  through  it   and  taking  out  a  piece. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


103 


Through  this  he  crawled  into  the  corridor,  pried 
the  door  of  the  jailer's  room  from  its  hinges  and  thus 
made  his  way  into  the  yard,  After  filling  the  key- 
hole of  the  gate-lock  with  gravel,  he  climbed  over 
the  fence  by  the  aid  of  a  table,  box,  and  barrel,  and 
made  direct  for  the  Siskiyou  mountain.  At  half- 
past  nine  the  jailer  returned  and  was  unable  to 
get  his  key  into  the  lock,  A  light  was  procured, 
and  after  considerable  delay  the  gravel  was  picked 
from  the  lock  and  the  gate  opened,  when  the 
cause  of  all  the  trouble  became  at  once  apparent. 
Sheriff  Morgan  soon  arrived,  and  messengers  were 
sent  out  in  all  directions  to  get  trace  of  the  fugi- 
tive. At  noon  the  next  day  word  came  from  Cot- 
tonwood that  he  had  crossed  the  Klamath  at  Groat's 
ferry,  and  the  sheriff  hastened  thither  with  a 
party.  A  guard  was  placed  at  his  cabin,  as  they 
expected  him  to  go  there  for  his  shot-gun,  and 
then  secrete  himself  in  the  chaparral,  with  which 
he  had  been  familiar  for  years.  At  dark  he  ap- 
proached the  cabin,  but  hastened  away  when  he 
discovered  the  ambuscade,  followed  by  half  a  dozen 
ineffectual  shots.  Some  Indians  were  procured  to 
trail  the  fugitive  through  the  brush,  and  for  a  week 
all  efforts  to  capture  him  were  futile.  Williams  left 
a  very  indistinct  trail  by  jumping  from  stone  to 
stone,  so  faint  that  the  Indians  had  great  difficulty 
in  seeing  it,  and  the  whites  could  not  see  it  at  all, 
and  denied  that  the  Indians  could,  thus  delaying 
and  hindering  them  so  much  that  they  refused  to 
continue  the  search.  A  number  of  ruses  were 
adopted  to  entice  him  to  his  cabin  or  elsewhere,  to 
procure  food,  but  all  failed.  At  last  a  stratagem 
was  successful.     His  friends  were  told  that  the  gov- 

o 

ernor  had  commuted  his  sentence,  and  that  if  he 
would  come  in  he  would  not  be  handed.  Trusting 
to  this  promise  he  delivered  himself  up  on  the  eighth, 
only  to  find,  when  again  safely  lodged  in  jail,  that 
he  had  been  deceived.  His  account  of  the  life  he 
led  on  the  mountain  that  week  was  an  interesting 
one.  He  had  a  pistol  and  hatchet,  and  had  killed  a 
young  bear,  on  which  he  lived,  using  the  skin  for  a 
coat,  and  had  built  a  little  bark  hut  in  the  chaparral. 
The  pursuers  passed  so  near  him  several  times  that 
he  could  almost  touch  them. 

His  friends  now  interested  themselves  in  securing 
a  commutation  of  his  sentence,  urging  as  a  reason 
for  such  action  the  deception  and  promise  that  had 
induced  him  to  surrender.  Governor  Booth  was  of 
the  opinion  that  the  reasons  were  good,  and  his  sen- 
tence of  death  was  changed  to  life  imprisonment  in 
the  penitentiary  at  San  Quentin.  to  which  he  was 
conveyed,  and  where  he  now  performs  daily  labor  for 
the  State. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


THE  COURT  OF  JTJDGrE  LYNCH. 

At  its  best  and  under  the  most  favorable  circum- 
stances the  exercise  of  lynch-law  is  barbarous  and 
cruel.  The  taking  of  human  life  in  punishment  for 
crime  by  the  constitute!  authorities  when  it  has 
been  so  decreed  by  a  legal  tribunal  is  terrible  enough, 
and  is  only  justified  because  society  must  protect 
itself;  but  when  the  safeguards  of  the  law  are 
thrown  aside  and  prejudice  becomes  the  judge,  pas- 


sion the  jury  and  inhumanity  the  executioner,  it 
becomes  horrible. 

The  absence  of  competent  tribunals  for  the  pres- 
ervation of  peace  and  the  adjudication  of  disputes, 
led  in  1849  and  1850  to  the  settlement  of  all  diffi- 
culties by  the  people  themselves.  So  speedy  was 
this  method,  and  so  beneficial  in  its  effect  upon  soci- 
et}r  by  restraining  the  commission  of  crime,  that  it 
became  engrafted  upon  the  legal  system  of  the  State 
long  after  the  necessity  for  it  had  vanished.  Wher- 
ever was  found  a  mining  camp,  there  also  was 
material  for  a  miners'  jury.  Men  acted  too  often 
upon  hastily  formed  opinions.  A  man  was  shot,  the 
murderer  was  captured;  ajury  of  miners  was  formed 
and  a  judge  selected;  the  investigation  was  super- 
ficial and  one-sided;  a  verdict  of  death  was  rendered, 
and  the  victim  was  quickly  borne  to  a  tree  and 
hanged;  all  this,  perhaps,  in  a  few  hours.  Some- 
times a  murderer  escapes  from  the  toils  of  the  law 
through  some  technicality,  and  the  people  in  their 
righteous  indignation  mete  out  to  him  the  punish- 
ment he  so  richly  deserves.  In  such  a  case,  though 
it  were  better  that  the  law  be  respected,  there  is  an 
excuse  for  the  exercise  of  violence;  but  when  a  pris- 
oner is  taken  violently  from  the  hands  of  the  law, 
or  is  seized  before  the  lav.'  has  had  an  opportunity 
to  take  charge  of  him,  and  is  executed  by  an 
unreasoning  mob  inflamed  with  passion,  then  there 
ceases  to  be  a  shadow  of  excuse  for  the  act,  and  it 
becomes  a  murder,  cruel  and  heartless,  and  none  the 
less  so  because  committed  by  a  hundred  than  if  the 
act  of  but  one. 

Several  such  have  occurred  in  Siskiyou  county, 
the  victims  in  most  cases  being  Indians.  The  hang- 
ing of  the  Frenchman  was  an  instance  of  this  kind, 
when  a  man,  probably  crazy,  was  taken  from  the 
custody  of  the  legal  officers  and  hanged  under  cir- 
cumstances of  great  cruelty.  The  Millhouse  affair 
would  have  been  another  c  *uld  it  have  been  consum- 
mated. Many  have  been  whipped  for  theft  and 
other  offenses,  several  of  which  occurrences  are  here 
related,  but  by  no  means  all  of  them,  enough,  how- 
ever, to  show  how  such  things  were  done. 

A  great  many  Indians  have  been  hung  and  shot 
at  different  times,  but  as  these  occurrences  happened 
during  or  in  connection  with  some  general  Indian 
difficulty,  they  are  detailed  in  the  history  of  Indian 
difficulties  in  another  chapter.  A  white  man  had 
but  little  chance  for  his  life  when  in  the  hands  of  a 
mob;  an  Indian  had  none.  There  is  only  one 
instance  of  the  escape  of  one  of  this  race  from  the 
violence  of  a  mob,  that  of  Rising  Sun,  and  he  did  so 
by  his  boldness  and  dexterity,  and  not  because  the 
mob  relented  in  its  purpose. 

INDIAN    HANGED   AT   SCOTT   BAR. 

A  small  company  of  prospectors  was  at  work  on 
the  south  bank  of  the  Klamath,  near  the  mouth  of 
Scott  river,  early  in  the  spring  of  1851,  among 
whom  wasD.  D.  Colton.  A  horse  belonging  to  them 
having  strayed  across  the  river,  two  of  the  party 
named  Converse  and  Haynes  crossed  over  and  cap- 
tured it.  While  on  their  way  back  Converse  laid 
down  his  gun  and  stooped  over  a  spring  to  get  a 
drink,  when  an  Indian  picked  up  the  weapon  and 
shot  the  unsuspecting  drinker  dead.  His  companion 
jumped  on  the  horse  and  made  for  the  river,  pursued 


104 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


by  the  savages,  but  was  drowned  before  getting 
across  the  stream.  The  others  hastened  to  Scott 
Bar  with  the  news,  and  a  party  was  made  up  that 
captured  the  Indian  who  shot  Converse,  and  brought 
him  to  the  Bar.  The  Indians  along  the  river  knew 
but  little  about  the  use  of  guns  at  that  time,  except 
that  they  were  very  dangerous  things  to  get  in 
front  of;'  but  the  one  who  had  done  the  shooting 
was  an  Oregon  Indian,  a  Cayuse,  or  a  Chinook, 
familiar  with  white  people  and  fire-arms.  The  cap- 
tive was  taken  before  Alcalde  R.  B.  Snelling,  and 
after  a  regular  trial  was  sentenced  to  be  hanged, 
notwithstanding  an  energetic  defense  by  lawyer 
Clarkson.  General  R.  M.  Martin  was  the  sheriff  at 
the  Bar,  and  upon  him  devolved  the  duty  of  exe- 
cuting the  sentence  of  the  court.  A  butcher's  gal- 
lows stood  not  far  away,  to  which  a  short  rope 
with  a  noose  was  fastened.  A  lariat  was  tied  from 
one  post  to  the  other,  about  half-way  up,  and  a 
plank  was  placed  with  one  end  upon  this  and  the 
other  on  the  ground,  making  an  inclined  plane,  up 
which  the  prisoner  was  led  so  as  to  stand  under 
the  noose.  General  Martin  did  not  relish  his  part 
of  the  job,  and  when  a  diminutive  Kanaka  offered 
to  relieve  him  he  accepted  gladly.  The  Indian  was 
large,  and  the  Kanaka  small,  but  by  climbing  upon 
his  victim  he  managed  to  get  the  noose  over  his 
head.  By  some  means  the  Indian  got  the  rope  in 
his  mouth,  and  clung  to  it  with  all  his  strength. 
He  had  exhibited  the  reverse  of  the  stoical  calmness 
in  the  face  of  death  so  generally  ascribed  to  the 
Indian  character,  and  had  cried  and  pleaded  for  life, 
and  now  that  he  had  the  rope  in  his  teeth  he  clung 
to  it  as  a  last  hope.  The  executioner  placed  his  knee 
against  the  Indian's  breast,  and  pulled  the  rope 
from  his  mouth  with  a  jerk,  breaking  the  teeth. 
He  then  placed  the  noose  around  the  prisoner's 
neck,  drew  the  knot  tight,  and  descended  to  the 
ground.  In  order  to  save  the  lariat  without  cutting 
it,  the  plank  was  pulled  away,  but  the  Indian's  feet 
rested  on  the  rope,  and  it  had  to  be  cut,  though 
the  crowd  expressed  the  opinion  that  it  was  a 
shame  to  spoil  a  good  lariat  just  to  hang  a  dirty 
Indian. 

INDIAN    WHIPPED   AT   SCOTT   BAR. 

In  1851  an  Indian  stole  some  dust  from  Varney 
&  Lytle,  on  Poorman's  Bar,  and  was  caught  while 
endeavoring  to  sell  some  specimen  pieces  in  a 
saloon.  A  brief  trial  was  given  him,  and  it  was 
decided  that  he  should  be  whipped,  and  that  B. 
F.  Varney  should  wield  the  rope.  He  was  tied  up 
and  Varney  began  to  lay  on  the  stripes,  but  with 
such  gentleness  that  Lytle  became  disgusted.  "Give 
me  that  rope,"  he  said,  as  he  took  the  whip  from  his 
partner's  hand.  Squaring  himself  for  the  effort,  he 
rained  blows  upon  the  Indian's  back  until  he 
writhed  under  them,  great  ridges  rising  at  every 
blow.  When  he  was  done  the  Indian  was  released, 
with  a  warning  not  to  come  within  shooting  dis- 
tance of  the  river,  and  justice  was  satisfied. 

FRENCHY   WHIPPED   ON   SCOTT   RIVER. 

There  was  working  on  Scott  river  in  the  spring  of 
1852  a  young  lawyer  from  Illinois  named  Smith. 
He  had  been  there  but  a  short  time,  but  by  dilligent 
labor  had  accumulated  nearly  two  thousand  dollars 
in  dust,  which  he  always  carried  in  a  sack  in  the 


pocket  of  his  coat.  This  he  always  took  with  him 
to  his  claim  and  never  let  it  get  out  of  his  sight, 
leaving  it  on  his  bunk  at  night  and  using  it  for  a 
pillow  when  he  slept.  He  had  a  young  wife  and 
baby  waiting  anxiously  his  return,  and  his  savings 
had  now  amounted  to  what  he  considered  a  "  home 
stake,"  while  he  was  la3'ing  plans  for  his  homeward 
journey.  Occupying  the  same  cabin  with  him  was 
a  little  Frenchman,  a  Dr.  Baid,  known  to  all  as 
Frenchy.  This  man  knew  the  habits  of  Smith  and 
just  where  he  kept  his  dust.  One  night  Frenchy 
was  absent  at  Humbug,  and  Smith  with  a  few  others 
were  sitting  in  the  cabin,  when  they  heard  a  little 
noise  in  the  corner  by  the  bunk,  but  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  it.  When  Smith  picked  up  his  coat  when 
preparing  to  retire  for  the  night,  he  was  filled  with 
i  onsternation  to  find  it  light  and  empty.  The  sack 
of  dust  was  gone.  Search  in  the  bunk  and  through 
the  cabin  failed  to  reveal  the  missing  treasure. 
That  no  one  inside  had  taken  it  Smith  knew,  for 
they  had  been  where  he  could  see  them  continually. 
A  careful  examination  revealed  the  fact  that  at  the 
head  of  the  bunk  where  the  coat  lay,  the  chinking 
between  the  logs  had  been  disturbed.  All  rushed 
outside,  and  there  were  found  the  footprints  of  the 
robber  by  the  side  of  the  cabin,  where  he  had 
removed  the  chinking,  inserted  his  hand,  taken  the 
gold,  restored  the  chinking  and  departed.  Smith's 
mind  at  once  reverted  to  Frenchy.  He  remembered 
that  but  a  short  time  before  he  had  left  his  coat  in 
the  cabin  by  mistake,  and  Frenchy  had  come  to  his 
claim  to  notify  him  of  the  fact,  and  that  the  next 
time  he  weighed  the  sack  it  was  six  ounces  short. 
He  asserted  that  Frenchy  was  the  thief  beyond  a 
doubt. 

News  that  a  miner  had  been  robbsd  soon  spread 
in  the  morning,  and  a  crowd  quickly  gathered  to 
discuss  the  matter  and  see  what  could  be  done.  It 
was  determined  to  capture  Frenchy,  and  if  found 
guilty,  to.  hang  him.  Cyrus  Hurd  was  selected  to 
go  to  Humbug  after  the  suspected  man,  and  when  he 
reachedthere  found  the  objectof  his  search  just  bound 
for  Yreka.  He  was  informed  by  citizens  of  Hum- 
bug that  Frenchy  was  there  when  the  sun  went 
down  the  night  before  and  the  rising  sun  that  morn- 
ing  revealed  him  still  thei'e.  The  night  was  a 
dark  one;  the  trail  from  Humbug  to  the  bar  was 
ten  miles  long,  so  rugged  and  rocky  that  it  was  dif- 
ficult to  travel  it  in  the  day-time  and  seemed  impos- 
sible at  night.  No  one  believed  the  man  could  go 
that  ten  miles  to  the  bar  and  ten  miles  back  again 
over  that  rough  mountain  trail  in  the  darkness. 
Nevertheless  Hurd  decided  to  take  the  man  to  Scott 
Bar,  and  so  followed  him  to  Yreka.  In  that  town 
the  year  before  there  had  been  a  vigilance  commit- 
tee of  which  Alvy  Boles  was  chairman,  and  to  him 
Hurd  repaired  for  assistance.  Yreka  was  then  in 
Shasta  Plains  township,  in  Shasta  county.  Boles 
sat  down  to  write  a  warrant,  and  soon  evolved  the 
following  formula,  and  placed  the  document  in  the 
hands  of  his  constable,  Abraham  Thompson,  to 
serve  : — 


1-Yi 


igilant  Com.  vs.  Dr.  Baid. 


State  of  California, 

Canity  of  8 haste, 

Shaste  Plains  Township. 

To  any  constable  of  Shaste  Plains  Township  this  day  complaint 
having  laid  before  me  the  Vigilant  Committee  that  the  crime 
of  felony  has  Ben  committed  and  accusing  the  above  named  Dr. 


JEREMIAH  DAVIDSON. 


MRS.  JEREMIAH  DAVIDSON. 


JEREMIAH  DAVIDSON, 

Of  Scott  valley,  is  from  Scotch-Irish  ancestry, 
though  directly  his  father  James  is  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  his  mother  of  West  Virginia,  in  which 
latter  State  the  parents  were  married,  and  lived 
about  thirty  miles  below  Wheeling.  Jeremiah,  the 
third  child,  was  born  on  the  twenty-first  of  Janu- 
ary. 1824.  Some  time  after  his  birth,  James  David- 
son removed  his  familv,  then  consisting  of  Narcissa, 
David  M.,  Jeremiah,  William  Fleming,  and  Hannah 
Jane,  the  children,  together  with  their  mother,  to 
Vermillion  county,  Indiana,  and  settled  in  the  town 
of  Eugene,   where   four  more   children  were    born, 

-r-r 

Sarah,  Finly  H.,  Ann  Eliza,  and  James  A.  Jere- 
miah, the  subject  of  our  sketch,  worked  on  a  farm 
during  his  boyhood  and  early  manhood,  attending 
school  in  winter.  He  was  married  on  the  twenty 
sixth  of  August,  1847,  to  Miss  Margaret  Ann  John- 
son, daughter  of  Hugh  and  May  Johnson,  a  native 
of  Indiana  and  born  February  24,  1827.  Jeremiah 
and  wife  had  nine  children  b}'  this  union,  five  of 
whom  are  still  living.  They  were  born  as  follows  : 
Alonzo  F.,  September  16,  1848,  at  Savannah,  Illin- 
ois; Finly  H.,  March  27, 1854  in  Scott  valley  ;  John 
Henry,  June  29,  1856,  died  March  17,  1864;  David 
M.,  April  26,  1858,  died  March  10,  1864;  William 
and  Charles,  March  5,  1860,  the  latter  dving  March 
25,  1860,  and  the  former  March  22,  1864  ;  Charles 
McDermit,  April  23,  1862:  May  Elizabeth,  May 
6,  1865  ;  Jeremiah,  Jr.,  September  30,  1866,  and 
Margaret  A.,  July  24, 1868.  Shortly  after  his  mar- 
riage Mr.  Davidson  moved  to  Elk  River  Mills  in 
Clinton  county,  Iowa.  While  there  he  was  engaged 
in  the  coopering  business.  In  the  couise  of  the  next 
few  months  he  changed  to  Wapello,  Iowa,  and  to 
Savannah,  Illinois,  where  learning  of  the  great 
fortunes  which  were  being  made  in  the  gold  fields 
of  California,  he  determined  to  go  there  himself. 


Leaving  his  family  in  Indiana,  he  started  with 
others  by  the  overland  route  for  the  west,  and  ar- 
rived at  Hangtown  (Placerville)  August  15,  1850, 
where  he  engaged  in  mining  until  October  of  the 
same  year,  when  he  started  for  Oregon  to  see  the 
country.  He  wintered  at  Oregon  City,  working  in 
a  warehouse  till  spring  of  1851,  when  he  started  to 
Scott  Bar,  then  the  only  popular  mining  locality. 
On  the  route  he  learned  of  the  rich  mines  on  Yreka 
fiats,  and  proceeded  there,  arriving  in  May.  He 
found  everything  booming,  spent  the  summer  and 
fall  mining  on  Cherry  creek  and  the  winter  on 
Indian  and  Greenhorn  creeks.  In  the  spring  of 
1852  he  returned  to  Oregon  and  mined  that  summer 
in  Josephine  county,  returning  to  Deadwood  in 
August,  and  from  there  he  went  to  the  States. 
Trading  a  year  in  drugs  and  groceries,  he  started 
again  with  his  family  for  California,  reaching  Scott 
valley  in  the  fall  of  1854,  and  in  1855  raised  a  crop 
of  grain,  paying  eight  dollars  a  bushel  for  seed 
wheat.  He  next  went  to  old  Etna  and  engaged  in 
the  distilling  business,  making  that  place  his  home 
until  July,  1857,  when  he  moved  on  the  place  where 
Charles  Hovenden  now  resides.  There  he  lived 
until  1867,  when  he  again  moved  in  July  to  his 
present  residence  where  his  children  have  grown  up. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davidson  have  lived  to  see  Scott  val- 
ley transformed  from  a  wild  waste,  inhabited  by 
Indians,  with  rude  huts,  to  a  beautifully  improved 
tract,  covered  with  pleasant  and  luxurious  homes. 
Their  farm  is  finely  located  on  the  west  side  of  the 
valley  three  miles  distant  from  the  village  of  Etna. 
It  comprises  280  acres,  well  fenced  and  wateied  and 
adapted  to  grazing  and  farming.  Mr.  Davidson  is 
a  member  of  Evening  Star  Lodge,  No.  186,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  at  Etna ;  and  also  of  Evening  Star 
Chapter,  Order  of  Eastern  Star.  Politically  he  is  a 
staunch  Democrat. 


■z. 

^J> 

n 

r5 

U2 

V 

□ 

1 

> 

is 

V 

< 
a 

t 

> 

■fr 

LL 

J. 

UJ 

-3 

n 

£ 

■i- 

a 

<2 

2 

P 

Ld 

if 

Q 

$ 

en 

£ 

Ul 

EC 

tfl 

HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


105 


Baitl  of  the  same  therefore  you  are  to  arest  the  said  Dr.  Baid  and 
bring  him  before  the  people  and  to  be  dealt  with  according  to 
their  Judgment.  A.  Boles,  Chairman  Committee. 

Yieka,  1852. 

Boles  also  endorsed  it  on  the  back,  directing 
Abraham  Thompson  "to  serve  the  within  rit;"  and 
for  fear  it  was  not  then  sufficiently  authenticated, 
signed  his  name  again  in  another  place.  Armed 
with  this  document,  Boles,  Hurd,  Thompson,  and  a 
few  others  went  to  a  restaurant  where  Frenchy  was 
quietly  eating,  arrested  their  man,  and  started  with 
him  at  once  for  Scott  river.  Here  they  found  an 
immense  crowd  gathered,  who  greeted  them  with 
cheers,  and  proceeded  at  once  to  dispose  of  Frenchy's 
case  by  miners'  law.  A  jury  was  selected  and  the 
trial  commenced.  But  little  evidence  couid  be  pro- 
duced against  him ;  Smith's  belief  that  he  was  the 
man  was  about  all,  while  in  his  defense  was  the  tes- 
timony Hurd  brought  from  Humbug  that  tended 
so  strongly  to  prove  an  alibi.  And  yet  on  this 
slight  evidence  many  wanted  to  hang  him.  The 
jury  argued  and  discussed  the  matter,  aided  by  the 
crowd,  but  could  decide  upon  nothing.  But  for  a 
few  who  would  not  agree  to  it  they  would  have 
hanged  him,  but  these  few  could  not  see  how  a  man 
could  be  in  two  places  at  one  time,  and  did  not 
believe  it  possible  to  make  the  trip  from  Humbug 
and  back  in  the  night.  While  they  were  arguing 
the  question,  Smith  tried  his  powers  of  persuasion 
on  the  prisoner,  but  to  no  avail.  With  tears  in  his 
eyes  he  spoke  of  the  loved  wife  and  innocent  babe 
awaiting  his  return,  that  if  he  lost  this  money  the 
world  would  hold  no  more  charms  for  him,  he  was 
ready  to  die.  Suddenly  he  changed  his  manner, 
drew  his  pistol,  and  told  the  man  he  would  shoot 
him  like  a  dog  if  he  did  not  confess,  and  restore  the 
dust,  and  then  put  an  end  to  his  own  existence,  but 
if  he  gave  up  the  stolen  treasure  he  would  see 
that  he  was  released. 

At  this  juncture  the  crowd  came  up  with  a  rope, 
with  the  information  that  the  jury  had  decided  to 
hang  him.  They  had  agreed  among  themselves  to 
run  him  up  once,  and  if  that  did  not  extort  a  con- 
fession, to  let  him  go.  This  was  too  much  for 
Frenchy.  On  the  one  hand  was  the  rope  or  pistol, 
and  on  the  other  Smith's  promise  to  aid  him.  He 
looked  at  the  preparations  made  to  stretch  his  neck, 
and  lost  his  courage.  He  had  taken  the  treasure,  he 
said,  and  would  show  them  where  he  had  hidden  it. 
Down  the  trail  he  led  them  to  where  it  passed  some 
bluffy  rocks;  here  he  paused,  reached  his  hand  up 
into  a  crevice  and  produced  the  sack  of  dust. 
Those  of  the  jury  who  had  before  stood  by  him  were 
now  the  most  eager  for  his  punishment.  They  had 
been  deceived,  and  this  was  a  fault  they  could  not 
stand.  An  agreement  was  soon  made  to  give  the 
culprit  twenty-nine  lashes.  He  was  quickly  stripped, 
tied  to  a  tiee,  and  a  rawhide  lash  made.  Smith 
was  selected  to  administer  the  castigation.  To 
this  he  objected.  He  had  forgiven  the  man  for  the 
wrong,  and  could  not  whip  him.  He  would  treat 
the  whole  crowd,  or  do  anything,  but  whip  the  man 
he  could  not.  The  crowd  was  angry  at  this;  their 
natures  were  not  sensitive  enough  to  appreciate 
such  sentiments;  but  Smith  made  them  a  speech 
which  completely  won  their  hearts.  It  was  then 
decreed  that  the  constable  should  do  the  flao-ellating. 

14 


Thompson  stepped  to  the  front  and  said  he  did  not 
fancy  the  job,  but  that  an  officer  should  not  shrink 
from  his  duty;  and,  seizing  the  whip  in  his  hand, 
began  laying  on  the  stripes  in  a  mild  way.  The 
prisoner  made  his  first  mistake  when  he  was 
frightened  into  a  confession,  and  right  here 
he  made  his  second.  When  fifteen  lashes  had 
been  given  he  gave  Thompson  a  look  of  hate, 
and  hissed  through  his  teeth,  "  I'll  kill  you." 
"  Kill  me,  will  you,  you  dirty  thief  ?"  shouted 
Thompson,  as  he  laid  the  blows  on  with  all  the 
power  of  his  muscular  arm.  The  whipping  before 
had  beea  gentle,  but  now  the  blood  followed  every 
cut.  Thick  and  fast  he  rained  the  blows  upon  the 
bleeding  back  until  thirty  had  been  counted,  when 
he  was  told  to  hold  on,  as  he  had  given  him  one  too 
many,  but  hold  on  he  would  not.  Down  came  the 
lash  with  a  vicious  whiz  through  the  air  upon  the 
lacerated  back,  until  the  subdued  victim  pleaded  for 
his  life  and  promised  to  do  the  irate  whipper  no 
injury.  Thompson  then  relented,  unbound  the  man 
and  washed  his  bleeding  back  with  liniment.  The 
jury  had  still  one  more  duty  to  perform.  They  took 
a  bag  of  dust  belonging  to  the  Frenchman,  weighed 
out  six  ounces  to  Smith  for  what  he  had  lost  before, 
six  to  Hurd  for  a  nugget  he  had  lost  by  theft,  jurors', 
witnesses'  and  constable's  fees  consuming  the  balance. 
A  purse  of  three  ounces  was  then  made  up  for  him, 
and  he  was  invited  to  "  make  yourself  scarce,"  and 
never  be  seen  in  the  diggings  again,  or  he  would  be 
made  to  swing.     He  accepted  the  invitation. 

Elijah  Moore  &  Co.  kept  a  trading-post  at  Free- 
town, on  the  north  fork  of  Humbug  creek,  in  1852, 
which  was  the  scene  of  considerable  excitement  one 
day.  It  was  customary  for  Indians  from  about  the 
mouth  of  Humbug  to  roam  up  the  creek  and  beg  old 
victuals  and  carry  away  offal  from  the  slaughter- 
house. Little  articles  were  occasionally  missed  from 
this  store,  and  these  Indians  were  suspected  of  hav- 
ing spirited  them  away.  One  day  two  Indians  were 
in  the  store,  and  one  of  the  partners  went  out  for 
awhile.  After  he  was  gone,  the  other  partner 
noticed  a  pair  of  buckskin  pants  that  seemed  to  him 
to  lie  too  near  the  Indians,  and  removed  them  behind 
the  counter.  The  Indians  soon  passed  out  and 
started  down  the  creek.  The  first  partner  then 
returned,  and  noticing  that  the  pants  and  Indians 
were  both  gone,  seized  a  gun  and  went  to  the  door 
and  shot  one  of  the  Indians  who  had  gone  but  a 
short  distance.  He  soon  discovered  that  he  had  been 
too  hasty,  and  as  he  could  not  put  life  into  the  inan- 
imate form  of  his  victim,  he  put  metal  into  his  own 
heels  and  took  to  the  mountains.  The  miners 
gathered  and  proposed  to  have  a  trial,  but  the  guilty 
man  had  escaped.  This  was  no  obstacle  to  the  pro- 
ceedings whatever,  for  they  tried  his  partner  in  his 
stead,  a  sort  of  an  impromptu  Damon  and  Pythias 
affair,  with  the  brotherly  love  ingredient  omitted. 
There  was  no  evidence  that  this  man  was  aware 
that  his  partner  intended  to  shoot,  but  the  crowd 
was  excited,  and  many  wanted  to  hang  him  anyway. 
The  better  judgment  of  the  cooler  ones  prevailed, 
and  the  man  was  acquitted.  The  excitement  soon 
passed  away,  and  as  the  man  killed  was  only  an 
Indian,  the  partner  who  took  to  the  woods  returned 
and  resumed  his  place  in  the  store  without  moles- 
tation. 


106 


HISTORY   OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  UALdi'OKJNiA. 


TAR   AND   FEATHERS   IN   YREKA. 

Some  time  during  the  year  1853  a  man  and 
woman  from  Oregon  registered  as  7nan  and  wife  at 
the  Yreka  House,  then  the  only  regular  hotel  in  the 
city,  and  kept  by  Horace  Knights,  who  rented  it 
from  the  owner,"  N.  Garland.  It  soon  transpired 
that  the  parties  were  not  married,  but  that  they 
were  engaged  in  a  business  highly  immoral  and 
improper.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  moral 
sense  of  the  community  was  not  as  acute  as  it  might 
or  should  have  been  ;  that  few  ladies  then  shed  their 
refining  influence  among  the  people,  although  a 
small  number  of  most  excellent  and  refined  ladies 
were  then  here;  but  that  squaws  and  women  of 
a  disreputable  character  were  to  be  found  in  the 
majority  among  the  representatives  of  the  gentler 
sex.  Still,  blunt  as  was  the  moral  sense  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  heedless  as  they  may  have  been  of  the  de- 
moralizing tendency  of  their  own  acts,  they  took  it 
upon  themselves  to  become  virtuously  indignant  at 
the  audacity  and  moral  depravity  of  this  man,  and 
determined  to  make  an  example  of  him.  Let  it  be 
said,  however,  that  with  some,  perhaps  many,  this 
indignation  was  but  a  cloak.  They  wanted  some 
fun,  and  thought  that  this  man,  who  had  no  friends, 
and  who  was  in  a  business  that  was  not  calculated 
to  create  for  him  much  sympathy  among  the  better 
class  of  citizens,  could  furnish  it.  Whatever  were 
their  various  reasons,  this  was  what  they  did  : — 

Mr.  Garland  stepped  into  the  hotel  one  evening 
and  called  the  man  outside.  There  he  imparted  to 
him  the  startling  information  that  there  was  an 
organized  body  of  men  bent  on  hanging  him  or 
inflicting  some  outrage  upon  him,  the  character  of 
which  he  was  not  certain,  on  account  of  his  business  ; 
that  he  was  his  friend  and  would  lead  him  away  to 
a  place  of  safety.  Trusting  in  the  friendship  and 
assistance  thus  proffered,  the  man  submitted  himself 
to  Garland's  guidance.  They  had  gone  but  a  short 
distance  when,  near  the  corner  of  Miner  and  Third 
streets,  they  met  a  small  crowd  of  men,  who  demanded 
his  surrender  to  them.  Garland  drew  his  revolver 
and  made  a  great  pretense  of  protecting  him,  even 
firing  several  shots,  being  careful,  however,  not  to 
hit  any  one.  Despite  the  efforts  of  this  most  valiant 
and  heroic  protector,  the  man  was  secured  and  taken 
to  a  cattle  corral  on  the  south-east  corner  of  Third 
and  North  streets,  where  a  kettle  of  boiling  tar  and 
a  bed  of  variegated  feathers  were  awaiting  him.  A 
judicious  mixture  of  these  was  quickly  substituted 
for  the  clothing  the  moral  outcast  had  worn  when 
captured,  and  then  he  was  advised  to  turn  from  the 
depravity  of  his  ways,  emulate  the  noble  example  of 
those  shining  lights  who  were  now  ministering  unto 
him,  to  consider  the  uprightness  of  their  ways  and 
walk  therein,  and  was  then  released. 

"Whether  he  profited  by  the  good  advice  is  not 
known,  but  if  it  stuck  to  him  as  long  and  persistently 
as  did  the  new  suit  of  clothes  they  gave  him  it  must 
have  done  him  some  good.  There  were  but  few 
directly  engaged  in  this  lawless  act,  but  a  great 
many  were  cognizant  of  it  and  gave  it  their  approval, 
while  few  felt  called  upon  to  give  the  unfortunate 
man  even  so  much  as  their  sympathy,  and  no  one  to 
see  that  an  official  inquiry  was  made  into  the  affair. 

GEORGE   BRUNT   OUTRAGE. 

In  the  spring  of  1853  there  were  but  few  men 


working  on  Hamburg  Bar,  and  among  them  was  a 
company  of  five  men  who  were  bringing  a  ditch  to 
their  claim.  One  afternoon  their  tent  caught  fire, 
evidently  from  sparks  blown  by  the  wind  from  the 
fire  with  which  they  had  cooked  dinner,  and  burned 
down.  The  proprietors,  two  of  whom  were  named 
Barnes  and  Shaw,  accused  a  young  Englishman 
named  George  Brunt  of  having  set  the  tent  on  fire. 
A  number  of  men  accompanied  them  to  the  claim 
of  Joseph  Reeves,  where  Brunt  was  at  work,  and 
there  ascertained  that  when  the  tent  was  burned 
the  suspected  man  had  been  hard  at  work  in  the 
claim.  The  ditch  men  seemed  to  have  some  grudge 
against  the  man,  and  were  not  satisfied  of  his  inno- 
cence, and  during  the  night  went  to  his  cabin,  took 
him  away,  and  proceeded  to  extort  a  confession  from 
him  by  stringing  him  up  to  a  tree.  After  hanging 
him  till  he  was  nearly  dead,  and  becoming  con- 
vinced that  he  knew  nothing  of  the  burning  of  the 
tent,  they  let  him  go.  They  were  now  troubled 
about  the  consequences  that  might  follow  their  bar- 
barous acts,  and  charged  Brunt,  who  was  a  very 
simple  man,  never  to  divulge  what  they  had  done 
under  pain  of  death.  He  returned  to  his  cabin, 
afraid  to  go  to  any  one  for  relief,  and  lay  there 
alone,  groaning  with  pain.  His  groans  reached  the 
ears  of  Sigmund  Simon,  who  took  his  revolver,  and 
went  out  to  see  what  was  the  trouble.  Guided  by 
the  sounds,  he  reached  the  side  of  the  suffering  man. 
and  asked  what  ailed  him. 

"  I  am  in  pain,"  said  he. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?" 

"  I  can't  tell  you." 

"You  can't  tell  me?" 

"No." 

"  Well,  I  came  over  to  help  you,  but  if  you  won't 
tell  me  what  the  matter  is  you  can  lie  there  and 
groan,  and  I'll  go  to  bed  again." 

Brunt  then  said  he  would  tell,  and  turned  his 
face  to  the  wall  while  he  related  the  outrage  that 
had  beeri  committed  upon  him.  Simon  examined 
his  neck  and  found  his  story  confirmed  by  the  black 
and  blue  ridge  left  by  the  cruel  rope.  The  next 
day  Simon  went  to  Johnson's  Bar  for  assistance  to 
punish  the  men  who  had  committed  the  inhuman 
act,  and  forty  men  returned  with  him  to  investigate 
the  affair.  They  found  the  five  men  intrenched  in  a 
cabin,  and  threatening  to  shoot  the  first  man  who 
came  near  them,  but  after  a  great  deal  of  talk  and 
bluster  they  were  convinced  that  their  safest  course 
was  to  come  out  and  stand  trial.  A  court  was 
organized,  and  the  affair  investigated,  resulting  in  a 
verdict  for  the  men  to  pay  Brunt  two  hundred  dol- 
lars for  his  injuries,  and  to  leave  the  river  within 
thirty  days.  When  the  time  for  their  departure 
had  elapsed  they  were  still  there,  and  were  granted 
a  little  longer  time.  They  finally  departed,  having 
compromised  with  their  victim  for  one  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars. 

CRAZY   FRENCHMAN   HANGED   AT   YREKA. 

In  the  year  1853  there  lived  in  a  cabin  on  the 
Greenhorn  road  an  old  Frenchman  who  was 
on  the  subject  of  perpetual  motion.     One 
Oregon  packer  who   had  been   to  Yreka  to  g 
bell-mare  shod,  was    passing    back    to    Gn 
when  the  Frenchman  ran  out  of  his  cabin 
revolver  and  shot   him  dead.     The  man  f< 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


107 


his  horse,  and  the  murderer  Hed  to  Yreka,  pursued 
by  a  crowd  of  miners,  who  had  rushed  from  their 
claims  when  they  had  heard  the  pistol  shot.  He 
ran  to  the  sheriff's  office,  where  the  Tribune  office 
now  is,  and  gave  himself  up  to  the  sheriff,  who 
took  him  down  the  back  stairs  and  put  him  in  jail. 
In  less  than  an  hour  a  thousand  men  were  in  the 
streets  demanding  the  prisoner.  Tools  were  pro- 
cured from  a  blacksmith's  shop,  and  an  assault  made 
upon  the  jail  door,  which  soon  gave  way,  and  the 
murderer  was  in  the  hands  of  the  mob.  He  was 
taken  to  the  vacant  lot  opposite  Ad.  Winckler's  resi- 
dence, where  a  regular  miners'  court  was  organized 
to  try  him.  Dr.  W.  H.  Gatliff  made  a  professional 
examination  of  the  prisoner,  and  testified  that  he 
was  insane,  but  it  did  no  good,  for  the  mob  was  in- 
sane also.  His  death  was  decreed  by  the  jury. 
One  of  the  three  pine  trees  that  stood  back  of  the 
present  residence  of  W.  I.  Nichols  was  selected  for 
a  gallows,  and  a  nimble  English  sailor  scrambled  up 
it,  and  fastened  a  rope  to  one  of  the  limbs.  The 
noose  was  so  far  from  the  ground  that  the  victim 
had  to  stand  on  a  horse  in  order  to  reach  it,  and 
before  everything  was  ready  the  horse  moved,  the 
man  slipped  off,  and  he  died  a  miserable,  strangling 
death.  The  mob,  most  of  whom  were  Greenhorn 
miners,  then  dispersed,  and  after  dark  some  of  the 
victim's  countrymen  took  down  the  body  that  had 
been  left  hanging  to  the  limb,  and  buried  it. 

THE    GREENHORN    WAR. 

Early  in  1852  the  miners  on  Yreka  fiats  began  to 
look  about  them  for  more  water  to  work  their  claims, 
and  soon  formed  a  company  to  bring  the  water  of 
Greenhorn  through  the  gulch  on  the  left  to  the  flats 
above  the  town.  The  ditch  company  was  composed 
of  seventy  shares,  and  the  work  was  done  by  the 
owners  who  expected  to  use  the  water  in  their  claims. 
The  water  was  taken  from  the  creek  on  the  north 
bank  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  above  its  mouth. 
There  was  at  that  time  but  one  claim  being  worked 
below  the  head  of  the  ditch,  and  that  belonged  to 
Quinn  &  Lee,  who  were  working  on  the  south  bank 
and  had  a  little  ditch  carrying  twenty-five  or  thirty 
inches  of  water  to  their  claim.  The  company  pro- 
cured the  consent  of  Quinn  &  Lee  to  the  diversion  of 
the  water  from  the  creek  upon  agreement  to  always 
leave  enough  to  fill  their  little  ditch,  and  then  com- 
menced to  cut  their  ditch  through  to  the  flats,  where 
it  still  runs  and  is  known  as  the  Sproll  or  China 
Hydraulic  ditch.  After  this  had  been  accomplished, 
gold  was  found  in  quantities  below  the  head  of  the 
ditch  and  many  claims  were  located.  In  winter  and 
until  the  water  became  low  in  the  creek  in  the  sum- 
mer time,  no  difficulty  was  experienced  in  working 
these  new  claims,  but  as  soon  as  nearly  all  the  scant 
supply  of  water  was  needed  to  fill  the  ditch,  leaving 
scarcely  a  drop  running  to  the  claims  below,  there 
was  trouble.  Ignorant  of  the  principle  and  law  of 
water  rights  that  obtained  in  the  mines,  the  disap- 
pointed miners  of  Greenhorn  claimed  that  the  water 
should  be  allowed  to  run  in  its  natural  channel,  and 
that  any  diversion  of  it  to  the  injury  of  claims  fur- 
ther down  the  stream  was  illegal  and  wrong,  not- 
withstanding  such  diversion  was  made  piior  to  the 
location  of  the  claims.  No  serious  difficulty  occurred 
till  the  spring  of  1S55,  when  the  miners  cut  the  ditch, 


and  allowed  the  water  to  run  down  the  creek.  The 
company  repaired  their  ditch  and  applied  to  Judge 
R.  L.  Westbrook  for  an  injunction  restraining  any- 
one from  in  anyway  diverting  the  water  from  the 
ditch  in  the  future.  At  this  time  the  property  had 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  half  a  dozen  men,  under  the 
name  of  the  Middle  Greenhorn  Ditch  Company. 
The  injunction  issued  by  Judge  Westbrook  was  dis- 
obeyed by  Robert  Wilson,  who  cut  the  ditch  on  the 
twenty-third  of  February,  1855,  and  was  arrested 
for  the  act  by  Sheriff  Col  ton  and  lodged  in  the  jail 
at  Yreka. 

The  miners  along  the  upper  Greenhorn  resolved  to 
rescue  him  from  the  clutches  of  the  law,  and  began 
to  make  arrangements  for  a  demonstration  in  force 
that  night.  About'  dark  they  assembled  at  Wheel- 
er's trading-post  and  organized  for  a  raid  upon  the 
jail.  They  then  started  in  a  body  for  Yreka. 
Some  half-dozen,  among  whom  were  Bob  Hardin 
and  the  notorious  Bill  Fox,  went  ahead  of  the 
others,  unknown  to  them,  and  reached  the  jail  a 
considerable  distance  in  advance.  The  jail  was  situ- 
ated on  the  south-west  corner  of  the  plaza,  opposite 
where  Winckler's  house  now  stands,  and  before  it 
was  a  large  space  of  open  ground,  no  buildings  hav- 
ing yet  been  erected  there.  But  a  block  to  the 
north  a  festival  was  being  held  in  the  new  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church,  which  still  stands  there,  its 
look  of  newness  long  since  laded  away.  A  great 
crowd  was  gathered  at  the  church,  including  the 
county  officers,  and  when  the  advance  party  arrived 
at  the  jail,  they  found  it  silent  and  apparently 
deserted.  A  little  investigation  revealed  the  pres- 
ence of  a  deputy  known  as  Dutch  Andrew,  of 
whom  they  demanded  and  received  the  keys.  Wil- 
son was  quickly  released  and  spirited  away,  and  all 
was  again  quiet.  Now,  after  the  bird  had  flown, 
came  the  large  Greenhorn  crowd  to  the  cage  and 
ranged  themstlves  before  the  door.  Geoige  Chaplin 
rushed  into  the  church  and  eagerly  told  Colton  that 
a  mob  was  making  an  attack  upon  the  jail  for  the 
purpose  of  releasing  Wilson.  In  the  church  were  the 
leading  citizens  of  the  town,  among  others  J.  Mont- 
gomery Peters,  the  district  judge.  He  called  upon  all 
good  citizens  to  go  up  and  aid  the  sheriff  defend  the 
jail,  but  as  he  manifested  no  disposition  to  go  him- 
self, the  majority  thought  themselves  no  better  citi- 
zens than  the  judge  and  carefully  remained  away. 
At  the  first  alarm,  the  sheriff  and  several  others 
rushed  from  the  church  and  advanced  to  where  the 
mob  was  assaulting  the  door  with  an  ax,  the  marks 
of  which  can  still  be  seen  by  the  curious  to  the  pres- 
ent day,  as  the  old  door  now  opens  and  shuts  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  city  marshal  and  the 
guests  he  entertains  in  the  calaboose  back  of  the 
engine-house.  They  tried  to  reason  with  the  mob 
and  persuade  them  to  have  respect  for  the  law,  and 
not  to  interfere  with  its  officers  in  the  discharge  of 
their  duty,  but  to  no  avail.  A  man  inside,  whom 
the  mob  supposed  to  be  Wilson,  cried  out,  "I  want 
to  be  taken  out!"  and  they  made  an  immediate 
assault  upon  the  door.  A  few  shots  were  fired  and 
Hugh  Slicer,  a  well-known  and  respected  citizen, 
was  wounded,  and  the  mob  fell  back  in  confusion. 
Colton  took  advantage  of  the  lull  in  the  storm  to 
procure  a  shotgun  from  his  house  near  by  and 
entrenched  himself  within  the  jail,  with  a  few  citi- 


108 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA . 


zenswho  had  hastily  armed  themselves  with  revolv- 
ers. The  defenders  within  the  building,  as  remem- 
bered by  two  of  them,  were  D.  D.  Colton,  H.  G. 
Ferris,  Livy  Swan,  Charles  Hathaway,  William 
Terry,  A.  E.  Schwatka,  Sank  Owens,  Hugh  Tate, 
and  Thomas  Conner.  Up  to  this  time  neither  the 
officers  within  nor  the  enraged  mob  without  were 
aware  that  Wilson  had  long  since  been  taken  away 
by  his  friends.  The  angry  crowd  now  again  ap- 
proached the  jail,  and  despite  the  warning  of  the  sher- 
iff not  to  advance,  kept  drawing  nearer  and  nearer 
to  the  door,  and  when  they  had  advanced  to  within 
a  few  feet,  Colton  fired  upon  them  with  his  gun  and 
ordered  the  others  to  shoot.  A  volley  was  then 
fried  from  the  inside  that  completely  scattered  the 
assailants,  who  returned  in  confusion  to  their  head- 
quarters at  Wheeler's  trading-post.  The  defenders 
then  went  out  and  found  Dr.  Stone  lying  on  the 
ground  mortally  wounded.  He  was  carried  down 
to  Dr.  Daughty's  office,  where  he  expired  before 
morning.  Several  others  were  wounded,  but  got 
back  to  Greenhorn,  one  of  them  dying  from  the 
effects  of  his  injuries. 

The  miners  now  expected  the  war  would  be 
brought  into  their  camp,  and  that  a  sheriff's  posse 
would  come  to  the  creek  to  make  arrests.  They 
fortified  themselves  to  the  number  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  or  more  at  the  point  of  rocks,  above 
Wheeler's,  and  for  two  days  no  communication  was 
held  between  them  and  the  people  of  Yreka.  No 
mining  was  done  on  the  creek  and  everything  was 
in  suspense.  Colton  and  Westbrook  were  afraid  to 
go  to  the  fortress  of  the  Greenhorn  army,  and  so 
prevailed  upon  A.  E.  Schwatka  to  go  up  there,  read 
the  riot  act,  and  see  what  was  the  condition  of 
affairs.  Schwatka  was  acquainted  with  every  man 
on  the  creek,  living  there  himself,  and  knew  they 
were  all  friendly  to  him.  All  was  quiet  as  he  went 
up  the  canon,  the  claims  deserted,  and  no  one  to  be 
seen.  At  Wheeler's  he  found  a  man  named  Atkins, 
whom  he  sent  to  the  Point  of  Rocks  with  a  request 
for  the  men  to  come,  down  to  Wheeler's  and  hold  a 
consultation,  that  he  was  entirely  alone  and  no 
danger  was  to  be  apprehended.  Soon  a  long  line  of 
familiar  faces  filed  before  him  and  halted  in  front  of 
the  post,  where  he  explained  his  mission,  read  the 
riot  act,  and  requested  them  to  send  a  delegation  to 
Yreka  to  consult  with  the  authorities,  ottering  to 
remain  himself  as  a  pledge  of  good  faith  to  the  dele- 
gates. A  committee  of  seven  was  sent  to  Yreka, 
where  they  held  a  consultation  with  Judge  West- 
brook,  Sheriff  Colton  and  others,  which  resulted  in 
the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  settle  the  diffi- 
culties and  effect  a  compromise  between  the  miners 
and  the  proprietors  of  the  ditch.  As  a  result  of  this 
conference  the  following  agreement  was  made: — 

Greenhorn  Creek,  March  3,  1855. 
Whereas,  We,  the  committee  appointed  on  behalf  of  the 
miners  of  Greenhorn  creek,  its  tributaries  and  banks,  and 
invested  with  power  to  settle  the  dispute  between  the  miners  of 
Greenhorn,  on  the  one  side,  and  the  Middle  Greenhorn  Ditch 
Company  on  the  other  side  ;  we,  the  committee  on  behalf  of  the 
miners,  make  the  following  proposals  to  the  committee  on  behalf 
of  the  Ditch  Company: — 

1— That  the  miners  of  Greenhorn  creek  and  its  banks  have  the 
first  right  to  water  for  mining  purposes. 

2 — That  the  Middle  Greenhorn  Ditch  Company  have  a  right 
to  all  the  overplus  water  after  the  creek  and  its  banks  are  sup- 
plied. 


3 — That  this  committee  appoint  a  miner  on  the  creek,  whose 
duty  it  shall  be  to  regulate  said  water. 

4 — That  the  suit  now  pending  in  the  County  Court  of  Siskiyou 
county  shall  be  withdrawn,  and  the  Ditch  Company  shall  pay 
the  cost  of  said  suit. 

5 — That  the  Ditch  Company  shall  pay  to  this  man,  appointed 
to  attend  to  the  regulation  of  the  water,  a  reasonable  compensa- 
tion for  his  services. 

6 — That  the  miners  of  the  banks  of  Greenhorn  require  no  com- 
pensation for  time  lost  during  the  progress  of  said  suit. 

Wm.  E.  Green,  Ch'n. 
Chas.  Botlon,  Sec'y. 
We,  the  undersigned,  members  of  the  Middle  Greenhorn  Ditch 
Company,   accept  the  above  proposals  on  behalf  of  a  majority  of 
said   company,  the  undersigned  representing  a  majority  of  the 
company.  Hugh  Bratton, 

Joseph  Greenwood, 
Samuel  George, 
C.  VV.  Lewis. 

Litigation  was  kept  up  for  a  number  of  years,  the 
lawyers  picking  the  bone  pretty  clean,  and  it  was 
finally  decided  that  the  ditch  company  was  entitled 
to  as  much  water  as  the  original  capacity  of  the 
ditch,  and  the  balance  belonged  in  the  stream. 

THE   MILLHOUSE   MOB. 

After  the  vital  spark  that  animated  the  city  gov- 
ernment of  Yreka  was  extinguished  by  the  Supreme 
Court,  the  citizens  requested  Sheriff  Fair  to  deputize 
a  man  to  act  in  the  capacity  of  marshal,  to  be  paid 
for  his  services  by  subscription.  To  perform  this 
duty  James  H.  Millhouse  was  appointed.  The 
Fourth  of  July,  1856,  was  on  Friday,  and  the 
ancient  and  honorable  order  of  Eclampus  Vitus  cel- 
ebrated the  clay  with  a  procession.  Large  crowds 
of  miners  from  Greenhorn,  Hawkinsville,  Dead- 
wood,  and  Humbug,  were  in  town,  and  whisky 
flowed  as  freely  as  water.  Revelry  ran  higher  and 
higher,  and  the  jollity  increased  as  the  day  advanced. 
In  the  afternoon  a  number  of  Greenhorn  miners 
gave  vent  to  their  exuberance  of  spirit  by  making  a 
raid  through  Chinatown,  and  kicking  in  the  doors 
of  their  humble  dwellings,  as  well  as  otherwise 
abusing  the  denizens  of  that  delectable  locality. 
Among  these,  young  John  Blunt  made  himself  par- 
ticularly conspicuous,  and  the  marshal  undertook 
to  arrest  him.  His  companions  interposed,  and  said 
that  as  it  was  the  glorious  Fourth  the  Marshal 
should  allow  considerable  freedom  of  action  and 
relaxation  of  spirit.  The  marshal  assured  them  that 
he  had  done  so,  and  so  long  as  they  had  confined 
themselves  to  making  a  noise  he  had  remained  silent, 
but  when  it  came  to  committing  outrages  upon 
persons  and  property  he  must  put  a  stop  to  it. 
He  then  made  another  attempt  to  arrest  Blunt, 
who  was  rescued  by  his  friends,  and  ran  down 
Third  street,  pursued  by  Millhouse.  The  marshal 
again  undertook  to  arrest  him,  and  a  fight  occurred, 
Blunt  being  advised  by  his  friends  to  "  whale  him 
good."  The  fight  lasted  for  some  time,  gradually 
working  up  to  near  the  engine-house,  where  Blunt 
knocked  the  marshal  down  and  began  kicking  him 
in  the  head.  He  was  pulled  away  by  some  bystand- 
ers, and  Millhouse,  as  he  rose  bleeding  and  almost 
blinded  from  the  ground,  pulled  his  revolver  and, 
commenced  shooting,  the  third  shot  striking  Blunt 
in  the  neck,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  died  in  a 
few  minutes. 

As  soon  as  the  shooting  commenced  the  streets 
which  were  crowded  with  men  were  deserted  in  a 
trice,  but  as  soon  as  the  last  shot  was  fired  they 


H.  D.  WEIGHT. 


C.  H.  FLETCHEE. 


HENEY  D.  WEIGHT 

Was  born  in  Hancock  county,  Illinois,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1834.  He  is  a  son  of  Hickerson  and  Cynthia 
Wright.  He  worked  at  home  with  his  parents  on 
the  farm  until  1853.  During  that  year  his  two 
elder  brothers,  who  had  gone  to  California  in  1850, 
returned  to  the  States  and  fitted  out  two  wagons 
and  thirty  horses,  and  the  three  brothers  crossed 
the  plains.  Mr.  Wright  says : — "  Game  was  plenty 
on  the  route  and  we  had  a  pleasant  trip."  They 
arrived  at  Placerville  on  the  seventh  day  of  August, 
1853.  He  followed  mining  in  different  localities 
until  the  month  of  March,  1855,  when  he  came  to 
Siskiyou  county.  After  remaining  for  a  short  time 
at  what  is  known  as  the  Forest  House,  he  went  on 
to  David  D.  Colton's  ranch,  now  the  property  of 
Samuel  Eamage.  In  the  fall  of  1856  he  removed  to 
Scott  Bar  and  mined  until  1857,  when  he  returned 
to  Kidder  creek  and  worked  in  Oliver  &  Prevost's 
saw-mill.  From  there  he  went  to  Oro  Fino  and 
engaged  in  working  the  Jackman  claim.  After  sell- 
ing it,  he  bought  the  claim  now  owned  and  operated 
as  Wright  &  Fletcher  claim,  one  of  the  best  in 
Siskiyou  county.  In  this  mine  he  worked  by  run- 
ning drain-tunnels  and  drifting  for  about  ten  years, 
but  finally  abandoned  that  method,  and  began  the 
hydraulic  process,  which  proved  a  success.  He  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  C.  Wood,  daughter  of  John  P. 
Wood,  of  Scott  valley,  on  the  thirtieth  of  December, 
1872.  By  this  union  there  have  been  two  sons,  viz.: 
Charles  Henry,  born  January  11,  1875,  and  Walter 
A.,  born  June  18,  1877.  A  view  of  the  mine  and 
portrait  of  Messrs.  Fletcher  and  Wright  will  be 
found  in  this  volume. 


CHAELES  H.  FLETCHEE 

Is  one  of  the  most  successful  miners  of  Siskiyou 
county.  His  parents  were  Ezra  and  Mary  A. 
Fletcher,  of  Somerset  county,  Maine;  the  former 
born  in  1814,  and  the  latter  in  1819.  Charles  is 
the  second  child  of  a  family  of  six,  three  brothers 
and  three  sisters.  He  was  born  on  the  fourth  of 
July,  1845,  and  lived  on  a  farm  till  he  was  nineteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  emigrated  to  Wisconsin,  and 
engaged  in  lumbering  till  the  year  1870,  after 
which,  he  went  to  mining  on  the  east  fork  of  the 
Scott  river,  at  Kangaroo  gulch,  in  this  State.  This 
venture  was  a  success.  He  then  invested  in  a  claim 
on  Patterson  creek,  in  Scott  valley.  In  November, 
1876,  he  returned  to  Maine,  his  home,  on  a  visit. 
While  sojourning  there,  the  Black  Hills  excitement 
became  rife,  so  he  came  back  to  California,  sold  his 
claim  on  Patterson  creek,  and  made  a  trip  to  the 
Black  Hills.  Not  meeting  with  the  success  he 
anticipated,  he  soon  returned  to  Siskiyou  county, 
and  bought  into  claims  on  the  Klamath,  where  he 
worked  one  summer.  He  then  bought  into  the 
quartz  mine  at  Oro  Fino,  which  he  afterwards  dis- 
posed of  in  the  fall  of  1880,  as  he  had  acquired  a 
half  interest  in  a  hydraulic  claim,  of  which  there  is 
a  view  on  another  page. 


7~ 


H: 


m. 


-  '"  '  -*  &  J*  tt 


•«*£' 


?*, 


JW»t 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


109 


swarmed  out  from  every  doorway  and  began  to 
shout,  "Hang  him,"  "Kill  him,"  'Now  for  a  vigi- 
lance committee."  The  sheriff's  office  was  in  the 
building  now  occupied  by  the  Tribune,  but  a  few 
yards  from  the  scene  of  battle,  and  to  this  place  of 
rtfuge  the  marshal  was  hastily  taken  by  a  few  who 
desired  to  save  him  from  the  mob.  A  desperate 
struggle  occurred  before  he  was  safely  placed  inside 
and  the  door  closed.  Sheriff  Fair  went  to  the  win- 
dow and  endeavored  to  pacify  the  angry  crowd,  but 
had  no  effect  upon  them.  They  called  for  Millhouse 
to  come  to  the  window  and  speak  to  them.  The 
marshal  went,  but  as  soon  as  his  head  appeared  in 
sight  of  the  excited  crowd  that  filled  the  street 
below,  his  ears  were  saluted  by  the  ominous  click  of 
a  hundred  revolvers,  and  he  quickly  vanished  again. 
The  back  part  of  the  building  was  occupied  by  the 
Union,  and  all  the  windows  on  both  sides  had  iron 
shutters  upon  them.  These  were  securely  closed 
and  everything  that  could  impede  the  defenders 
was  removed  to  the  center  of  the  room.  The 
miners  sent  word  to  Greenhorn,  Deadwood,  and 
Humbug  that  a  miner  had  been  killed  and  they 
wanted  help  to  avenge  him,  and  a  great  many 
flocked  in  from  those  places.  The  next  day  Dr. 
Ridgly  held  an  inquest  upon  the  body  of  Blunt, 
the  jury  being  A.  M.  Quivey,  J.  Carroll,  A.  V.  Gil- 
lette, W.  Johnson,  B.  Porter,  and  J.  H.  Harper. 

Close  siege  was  maintained  by  the  Greenhorn 
men  for  three  days,  the  others  having  wearied  of 
the  affair  and  gone  home.  The  Greenhorners  took 
possession  of  the  balcony  of  the  Odd  Fellows'  Hall, 
now  owned  by  the  Masons,  directly  opposite  the 
sheriff's  office.  On  Monday,  Millhouse  was  exam- 
ined before  Justice  George  Waterman,  in  the  court- 
room, which  was  then  in  the  old  Eclampus  Vitus 
Hall  on  Fourth  street,  and  was  conducted  thither 
by  a  body  guard  of  citizens  under  Captain  Goodall. 
The  examination  resulted  in  his  acquittal  on  the 
ground  that  he  had  acted  justifiably  in  defending 
himself  fiom  attack  while  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duty  as  an  officer.  He  was  advised  by  friends  to 
leave  town,  as  some  one  might  assassinate  him,  and 
did  so,  disposing  of  his  property  and  returning  to 
Indiana.  He  is  now  living  in  Missouri.  This  step 
was  an  unnecessary  one,  as  the  passions  of  the  dead 
man's  friends  had  cooled,  and  no  one  would  have 
risked  his  life  by  shooting  the  marshal  after  he  had 
been  fairly  acquitted  by  a  legal  magistrate. 

TWO   INDIANS   SHOT   IN    1859. 

On  Sunday  evening,  June  26,  1859,  a  young  son 
and  daughter  of  Colonel  R.  S  McEwan,  of  Table 
Rock,  left  Yreka  to  return  home,  and  soon  came 
back  with  the  intelligence  that  they  had  bc(  n 
assaulted  by  two  Shasta  Indians,  who  wanted  to  steal 
the  girl.  A  posse  went  out  and  caught  the  offend- 
ers, and  they  were  lodged  in  the  jail.  Great  indig- 
nation was  felt  in  Yreka  at  what  was  considered  a 
dastardly  outrage  on  the  part  of  the  savages,  and 
when  they  were  let  out  of  the  jail  the  next  Wednes- 
day night,  some  men  quietly  walked  them  to  a 
vacant  lot  and  shot  them  dead.  There  has  alwajrs 
been  considerable  doubt  about  the  guilt  of  the  sav- 
ages, as  many  think  the  boy  mistook  their  inten- 
tions when  they  spoke  to  him  and  his  sister. 

TWO    INDIANS   SHOT   AT   FORT   JONES. 

On  Thursday,  September  12,  1860,  two  Indians 


who  had  imbibed  enough  fighting  whisky  to  make 
them  quarrelsome,  went  to  Gee's  ranch,  on  the  stao-e 
road  between  Fort  Jones  anil  Yreka,  and  assaulted 
the  hostler  of  the  stage  company,  one  of  them 
knocking  him  down.  They  then  departed  in  the 
direction  of  Fort  Jones,  soon  meeting  the  stage,  and 
refusing  to  give  it  the  road.  The  driver  struck 
them  with  his  whip,  when  they  both  fired  into  the 
stage,  luckily  doing  no  damage.  The  hostler  j  umped 
on  a  horse,  and  rode  hastily  to  Fort  Jones  by  a  cir- 
cuitous route,  and  related  the  conduct  of  the  sav- 
ages, and  a  number  of  citizens  armed  themselves 
and  started  up  the  road  in  the  direction  of  Yreka. 
Near  the  edge  of  town  they  met  the  two  drunken 
Indians,  who  were  sober  enough  to  know  that  they 
had  no  business  at  the  Fort  j  ust  then.  They  started 
from  the  road  in  the  direction  of  Indian  creek,  but 
were  overtaken  and  shot  just  as  they  gained  the 
ridge. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

SCENES    AND    INCIDENTS. 

There  have  occurred  in  the  thirty  years  of  Siski- 
you's history  many  scenes,  humorous,  grave  and 
tragic,  that  serve  to  illustrate  the  character  of  the 
times  and  the  people.  A  large  volume  could  be 
filled  with  such  tales,  and  leave  many  untold.  A 
few  of  them,  most  of  which  have  never  been  pub- 
lished before  in  any  form,  have  been  gathered 
together  in  this  chapter,  while  many  others  are 
scattered  through  the  book  as  portions  of  topics 
treated  of  specially.  The  index  will  be  an  infalli- 
ble guide  to  those  seeking  to  find  any  incident 
related  in  this  volume. 

NEGRO   PREACHER   AT   JOHNSON'S   BAR. 

In  1855  a  negro  preacher  came  to  Johnson's  Bar, 
and  discoursed  one  Sunday  night  to  a  small  audience. 
The  sporting  men  thought  there  was  a  chance  for 
fun,  and  during  the  week  notified  the  exhorter  that 
he  must  prepare  a  good  sermon  for  the  next  Sun- 
day, as  he  would  have  a  large  and  intelligent 
audience.  A  large  crowd  went  to  see  the  fun,  for 
the  gamblers  intended  to  throw  potatoes  and  other 
vegetables  at  the  head  of  the  minister,  whenever  he 
lapsed  into  any  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  plantation 
orator.  The  man,  however,  was  a  good  talker,  and 
instead  of  throwing  potatoes  they  took  up  a  good 
collection  for  him.  This  continued  several  w7eeks, 
the  hat  receiving  twenty-five  or  thirty  dollars  every 
time  it  went  round,  and  ail  seemed  serene  and  fair. 
The  exhorter  began  to  suspect  that  he  was  playing 
with  fire,  and  one  morning  inquiry  was  made  for 
"the  preacher"  and  no  one  could  tell  where  he  was, 
nor  has  any  one  been  able  to  tell  since. 

MOCK   DUEL   AT   SCOTT  BAR. 

A  little  German  barber  at  Scott  Bar  was  once 
mortally  offended  by  being  called  Baron  Simbow- 
sky,  and  asserted  to  be  a  nobleman  in  disguise,  by  a 
fellow  German  who  was  seeking  to  get  up  a  sham 
duel  for  the  amusement  of  the  boys.  The  duel  was 
arranged,  and  they  all  adjourned  to  the  hill  above 
the  town  to  speed  the  work  of  death.  The  only 
one  in  the  crowd  who  did  not  know  that  the  affair 
was  all  a  sham  was  the  little  barber,  and  he  took 


110 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


his  pistol  and  stood  up  to  be  shot  at  with  as  much 
coolness  as  his  big  adversary,  who  knew  that  there 
were  no  bullets  in  the  pistols.  They  fired,  and  the 
big  man  fell  to  the  ground,  staining  his  shirt-bosom 
red.  The  little  barber  ran  up  to  render  what  assist- 
ance he  could,  but  was  told  that  the  friends  of  the 
fallen  man  would  shoot  him,  and  that  he  had  better 
run  for  the  woods.  He  acted  on  their  advice,  and 
made  a  break  for  the  timber  on  the  mountain  side, 
and  never  discovered  the  hoax  till  hanger  drove 
him,  under  cover  of  darkness,  to  the  house  of  a  fel- 
low German  for  food. 

ESCAPE   OF   BILL   FOX. 

Among  the  notorious  characters  of  Siskiyou  county 
was  a  desperate  fellow  named  Bill  Fox.  He  was  one 
of  the  leaders  in  the  Greenhorn  riot  in  the  spring  of 
1855,  and  in  November  of  the  same  year  killed  a 
man  named  Hanna,  at  French  Bar.  With  Sank 
Owens  and  Red-face  Bill,  two  other  characters  on 
the  river,  Fox  went  to  Johnson's  Bar  and  induced 
a  man  named  Hanna  to  come  to  French  Bar  to  play 
cards.  While  the  game  was  progressing  a  difficulty 
arose  and  Hanna  drew  a  knife,  while  Fox  had  a 
pistol.  Jim  McKewen,  a  large,  powerful  man,  seized 
Hanna  in  his  arms  and  held  him,  so  that  he  could 
do  no  harm  with  bis  knife.  Red-face  Bill  then 
told  Fox  to  shoot  Hanna  or  he  would  kill  him,  and 
thus  urged  on,  Fox  placed  his  pistol  near  Hanna's 
breast  and  shot  him  dead.  He  then  went  to  Con- 
stable Hopkins  and  gave  himself  up,  and  irons  were 
put  on  him.  Afterwards,  Fox  thought  it  was  a 
more  serious  matter  than  he  had  first  supposed,  and, 
with  the  aid  of  friends,  made  his  escape  in  the  night, 
stealing  tools  from  a  blacksmith  shop  to  cut  his  irons 
with.  The  mountains  were  searched  for  him  in  vain, 
and  he  was  given  up,  but  a  short  time  afterwards 
he  was  captured  in  San  Francisco  and  brought  to 
Yreka.  His  friends  still  interested  themselves  in 
his  behalf  and  prepared  for  him  a  fine  Christmas 
turkey,  stuffed  with  a  brace  and  bit,  while  soft 
feather  pillows  were  sent  for  his  cot,  containing, 
besides  the  usual  ingredients,  a  gimlet,  fine  saw,  and 
file.  At  half-past  one  o'clock  on  the  morning  of 
January  3, 1856,  the  jailer  heard  a  noise  and  investi- 
gated the  cause.  The  first  thing  that  fell  under  his 
observation  was  a  hole  in  the  foundation  of  the  jail, 
under  Fox's  cell.  He  thin  went  into  the  cell  and 
found  a  hole  cut  through  the  double  floor,  also  the 
irons  which  Fox  had  cut  from  his  feet,  and  the  tools 
with  which  the  work  had  been  done,  but  Fox  was 
not  to  be  found.  He  was  tracked  as  far  as  Green- 
horn, and  the  Sheriff  offered  $1,000  reward,  but 
no  one  ever  claimed  it.  It  was  afterwards  learned 
that  he  lay  concealed  a  number  of  days  in  an  old 
mining  shaft  near  Deadwood,  after  which  he  made 
his  way  to  San  Francisco  and  sailed  for  Australia. 

HAYES'    WILD-CAT. 

An  Ohio  man  named  Absalom  Hayes,  caught  a 
wild-cat  in  the  mountains,  and  brought  him  to  Scott 
Bar  for  the  people  to  look  at.  There  was  a  sporting 
man  there  named  Tom  Smith,  who  had  two  bull 
dogs,,  and  he  prevailed  upon  Hayes  to  rent  the 
theater  and  have  a  "drawing,"  something  which 
those  who  have  seen  badger  drawings  in  the  States 
need  not  to  have  explained  to  them.  The  proposi- 
tion met  with  favor,  the  theater  was  engaged,  and 


everybody  invited  to  come  and  bring  bis  dog.  When 
the  time  came  about  two  dozen  men,  with  dogs  of 
all  sizes,  colors  and  breeds,  were  congregated  before 
the  theater,  and  between  the  yelping  and  snarling 
of  the  canines,  and  the  proud  boasts  of  the  owners 
as  to  what  "  that  thar  doig  kin  do,"  the  time  passed 
away  pleasantly  till  the  show  was  ready.  A  man 
was  stationed  at  the  door  to  collect  half  a  dollar 
from  each  man,  but  the  dog  owners  refused  to  pay 
on  the  ground  that  they  were  part  of  the  show, 
while  the  others,  seeing  it  was  fashionable  to  crowd 
by  the  door-keeper,  went  in  without  paying,  and 
soon  the  place  was  full  while  the  box-office  receipts 
were  only  fifty  cents.  Hayes  surveyed  the  motley 
crew  of  dogs  and  the  large  audience  with  satisfac- 
tion, and  brought  out  the  box  containing  the  "var- 
mint," and  placed  it  on  the  stage.  A  large,  white 
dog  that  made  some  pretensions  to  Newfoundland 
blood  of  a  more  or  less  muddy  character,  was 
selected  to  make  the  first  draw,  while  the  other 
brutes,  made  restless  by  the  scent  of  the  wild-cat, 
weie  with  difficulty  held  by  their  masters  just  in 
front  of  the  stage.  The  dog  stuck  his  head  into  the 
box  and  drew  out  the  cat  the  first  time,  and  as  soon 
as  the  beast  appeared  every  dog  was  turned  loose 
and  made  for  the  stage.  There  ensued  a  scene 
beyond  description.  Every  clog  set  his  teeth  into 
the  cat.  They  snarled,  yelped,  growled  and  fought 
till  a  little  blood  and  fur  was  all  that  remained  to 
tell  Hayes  he  once  owned  a  cat.  The  owners  rushed 
in  and  gathered  their  dogs  before  they  got  to  fight- 
ing among  themselves,  and  then  began  to  commis- 
erate with  Hayes  for  the  loss  of  his  pet.  The  show- 
man had  bought  a  new  white  shirt  for  the  occasion, 
the  first  one  he  had  worn  in  years,  and  Tom  Smith 
blackened  his  hands  at  the  stove  and  began  to  com- 
fort the  proprietor  of  the  vanished  cat,  who  had  also 
learned  how  slim  the  gate  money  was. 

"It's  too  bad,  old  fellow,"  said  Tom,  as  he  stroked 
the  white  shirt  sympathetically  on  the  bosom.  "  It's 
too  bad.  There's  a  crowd  of  bilks  here  as  would  do 
anything,  you  know.  When  it  comes  to  killing  a 
man's  cat  in  that  way,  you  know,  why,  it's  too  bad, 
you  know,"  caressingly  drawing  a  black  streak  down 
the  side  of  Hayes'  face,  while  the  crowd  shrieked 
with  laughter.  When  his  shirt-bosom  and  face 
were  well  decorated  with  soot,  Hayes  began  to  real- 
ize that  his  business  was  done  at  that  place  and  made 
a  bolt  for  the  door,  while  the  others  remained  and 
"  took  suthin." 

THE   COSBY    MUBDER. 

One  morning  in  1856  aquittold  Scotchman, named 
Cosby,  was  found  dead  in  his  cabin  in  Blue  gulch, 
near  Hawkinsville.  He  was  tied  with  a  sailor's 
knot,  and  had  his  throat  cut.  How  much  gold  he 
may  have  had,  or  whether  the  murderer  found  any- 
thing to  reward  him  for  his  horrible  deed,  was  never 
known.  A  diligent  search  revealed  thirteen  dollars 
secreted  in  a  hen's  nest  in  the  cabin,  and  this  with 
the  intelligence  of  the  manner  of  the  old  man's 
death  was  sent  to  his  relatives  in  Scotland.  The 
mystery  that  surrounds  this  cold-blooded  murder  of 
an  old  man  for  his  money  has  never  been  cleared 
away.  There  were  some  who  supposed  that  Sailor 
Jim  was  the  murderer,  from  the  fact  that  Cosby  was 
tied  with  a  sailor's  knot,  but  when  the  suspected 
man  lay  in  jail  under  sentence  of  death  for  the  mur- 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


Ill 


der  of  Burke,  and  was  asked  the  day  before  his 
execution  if  he  had  any  knowledge  of  the  Cosby 
murder,  he  said,  "  No."  There  the  matter  rests  till 
the  truth  shall  be  revealed  in  eternity. 

MIDNIGHT   RIDE   OF   PEMBROKE   MURRAY. 

"  Listen,  my  chidren,  and  you  shall  hear 
Of  the  midnight  ride  of  Paul  Revere." 

In  ancient  days  there  lived  a  Jew,  who  made 
Yreka  his  abiding-place,  and  engaged  in  the  uncer- 
tain vocation  of  selling  "  dry  goots  and  clodings 
sheep  for  cash."  He  rejoiced  in  the  name  of  Jacob 
Ehrenbacher,  which  had  been  his  from  the  cradle, 
but  however  mellifluous  and  euphonious  this  may 
have  been  in  the  owner's  ears,  it  had  to  give  way  in 
the  ordinary  affairs  of  life  to  the  more  popular  pseu- 
donym of  "  Steamboat  Jake."  How  this  marvelous 
change  was  wrought  and  how  a  prominent  justice 
of  the  peace  fled  from  the  wrath  to  come,  it  is  the 
province  of  this  chronicle  to  relate. 

It  was  in  the  palmy  days  of  Yreka,  in  the  year 
1856,  that  Mr.  Ehrenbacher  felt  his  heart  drawn 
towards  the  noble  principles  of  Odd  Fellowship,  and 
sought  to  unite  himself  with  that  order.  His  actions 
in  the  matter  led  those  to  whom  he  applied  to  believe 
that  he  wanted  to  join  for  t^e  purpose  of  becoming- 
sick,  apparently  so,  and  enjoying  the  benefits  devolv- 
ing upon  one  in  that  condition.  It  was  resolved  to 
punish  him  and  give  him  such  an  idea  of  secret  soci- 
eties as  would  banish  from  his  mind  all  thought  of 
joining  one  in  the  future. 

There  existed  at  that  time  in  Yreka  a  lodge  0f  the 
Most  Ancient  and  Honorable  Order  of  Eclampus 
Vitus,  an  order  that  existed  solely  and  simply  for 
the  sport  that  could  be  had  in  initiating  novices  into 
its  mysteries.  The  ceremonies  were  the  most  ludi- 
crous and  awe-inspiring  that  the  fertile  brain  of  man 
could  conceive.  Into  this  order  three  practical  jokers 
of  the  town,  Pembroke  Murray,  Geo.  VV.  Stilts,  and 
Wiley  Fox,  proposed  to  induct  the  inquisitive  and 
mercenary  .Jew.  They  represented  to  him  that  for 
the  modest  sum  of  fifty  dollars  he  could  join  the 
Odd  Fellows,  Masons,  and  Eclampus  Vitus,  and  took 
his  application  and  cash,  having  a  royal  good  time 
with  the  latter. 

The  most  appalling  ceremonies  of  the  Eclampus 
Vitus  as  well  as  all  the  means  they  could  devise  by 
which  a  man  could  be  deceived  and  frightened,  were 
arranged,  in  one  grand  programme,  as  he  was  not  to 
be  inducted  regularly  into  the  order. 

All  the  good  fellows  in  town  were  posted  on  the 
affair,  whether  members  of  the  order  or  not,  and 
when  the  night  came  which  was  to  remove  the  veil 
of  mystery  from  before  the  eyes  of  the  confiding 
Hebrew,  the  hall  was  crowded  with  eager  spectators. 
The  ceremonies  commenced  in  the  most  solemn  and 
impressive  manner,  and  as  thejr  proceeded,  ever  and 
anon  the  whole  assembly  would  give  a  sepulchral 
groan,  to  which,  according  to  instructions  previously 
given,  the  candidate  responded  "  Timbo."  As  the 
evening  wore  on  and  he  became  more  and  more  ter- 
rified, his  pronunciation  of  the  magic  word  became 
less  distinct,  until  nothing  could  be  made  of  it  but 
"  Steambo,"  and  he  became  "  Steamboat  Jake"  upon 
the  spot.  At  one  time  it  was  represented  to  him 
that  each  of  the  three  orders  must  brand  him  with 
a  red-hot  iron,  and  to  fully  impress  him  with  the 
reality  of  the  intended  act  they   began  to  dispute 


among  themselves  as  to  which  order  took  precedence. 
Pembroke  Murray  dated  the  Masons  back  to  Moses, 
but  Stilts  settled  all  dispute  by  conclusively  proving 
that  Adam  was  the  first  member  of  the  Eclampus 
Vitus,  and  to  that  order  was  granted  the  privilege 
of  first  putting  its  brand  upon  the  now  thoroughly 
frightened  man.  Great  demonstrations  of  heating 
an  iron  and  of  making  other  preparations  were 
made,  and  when  all  was  ready  he  was  touched  upon 
the  bare  back  with  a  piece  of  ice.  In  his  imagination 
he  could  feel  the  scorching  iron  burndeep  into  his  flesh, 
and  he  bounded  into  the  air,  screeching  and  groan- 
ing in  the  intensity  of  his  pain  and  fright.  His  yells 
and  cries  could  be  distinctly  heard  a  block  away  by 
people  in  their  houses. 

For  a  long  time  he  writhed  and  shrieked  under 
the  relentless  deceptions  of  his  persecutors,  while  all 
were  convulsed  with  laughter. 

Finally  his  nervous  system  gave  way  under  the 
strain,  and  he  fell  down  in  a  fit,  frothing  at  the 
mouth.  The  merriment  was  suddenly  changed  to 
fear  and  apprehension.  The  unconscious  man  was 
borne  to  his  store,  where  four  pli3'sicians  labored 
over  him  for  an  hour.  No  one  expected  to  see  him 
open  his  eyes  to  the  light  of  day  again,  but  he  was 
at  last  resuscitated,  and  all  danger  was  past.  Before 
this  Murray  had  gone  home,  leaving  word  with 
Stilts  to  come  to  the  house  and  tell  him  the  result. 
As  soon  as  the  good  news  was  announced,  Stilts  said 
to  John  Loag,  "John,  have  }rou  got  the  old  cayuse 
down  at  the  stable?" 

"Yes." 

"Well,  we'll  have  a  good  joke  on  Murray." 

"How  so?" 

"Why,  I'll  go  down  there  and  tell  him  the  Jew  is 
dead,  and  we  must  leave  town  to  avoid  arrest,  and 
you  send  him  the  old  cayuse  to  ride  on." 

The  plan  was  well  laid,  and  all  the  late  revelers 
were  in  the  secret.  Stilts  went  to  Murray's  house 
and  rapped  softly  on  the  door,  which  was  opened  by 
the  anxious  justice.  Assuming  a  most  lugubrious 
expression  of  countenance,  he  said: 

"He's  dead  as  a  smelt,  and  I'm  going  to  Oregon. 
Dave  Colton  is  getting  out  the  papers  now  to  arrest 
us.  I've  told  the  boys  we  were  going  to  Oregon, 
and  Dave  will  hear  of  it,  and  ride  to  the  Klamath 
ferry  to  capture  us.  Now  there  will  be  a  horse 
here  in  a  few  minutes,  mount  him,  and  get  to  Shasta 
as  quick  as  you  can.  I'm  going  to  Oregon  on  foot, 
and  I  will  be  across  the  line  by  daylight." 

Saying  good-bye,  he  struck  off  in  the  direction  of 
Oregon  at  a  rapid  pace.  Soon  a  hor-e  was  led  cau- 
tiously up  to  the  door  by  George.  Watevhouse,  who 
assisted  Murray  to  mount,  and  charging  him  to  get 
out  of  the  country  before  daylight,  bade  him  God- 
speed . 

The  old  cayuse  was  a  pack  animal,  to  which  any 
gait  faster  than  a  drowsy  walk  was  an  utter 
stranger.  He  took  as  long  to  pass  any  given  point 
as  a  procession.  In  vain  did  the  anxious  fugitive 
on  his  back  cluck,  kick,  and  swear.  He  had  no 
spurs  nor  whip  to  encourage  him  with.  Riding  up 
to  a  fence  he  broke  off  the  top  of  a  picket,  and  with 
this  commenced  a  vigorous  prodding,  eliciting  a 
spasmodic  trot  of  half  a  dozen  steps,  and  then  the 
walk  was  resumed.  Again  and  again  was  the 
brute  prodded,  and  again  and  again  did  he  respond 


112 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


with  a  bone-racking  trot  of  six  steps.  After  plod- 
ding slowly  along  Main  street  until  Miner  was  safely 
passed,  the  exasperated  man  gave  vent  to  his  feel- 
ings in  a  flood  of  tears  and  imprecations.  "This  is 
a  pretty  beast  to  give  a  man  to  save  his  life  with," 
he  blubbered:  "if  I  had  a  pistol,  I'd  shoot  the  man 
that  gave  him  to  me.  If  I  only  had  a  knife  I'd 
cut  tne  brute's  throat.  Get  up,  you  lazy  hound!" 
he  shouted,  as  he  dug  the  fence  picket  into  (he 
offending  animal's  ribs.  "Get  up;  get  up  !  I'd  walk 
if  I  wasn't  lame;  get  up!  Oh,  I'll  shoot  the  man 
that  did  this." 

Just  then  the  jokers,  who  had  followed  close  be- 
hind him,  began  to  yell,  "There  he  goes,"  and  to  fire 
their  pistols.  The  sensitive  ear  of  the  fugitive 
caught  the  sounds,  and  he  redoubled  his  exertions  to 
entice  a  trot  from  the  old  cayuse,  but  in  vain. 
Wiley  Fox  soon  overtook  him,  mounted  on  a  fine 
horse.     As  he  came  up  he  asked: 

"Is  that  you,  Murray?" 

'Yes.     Is  that  you,  Wiley?" 

"Yes,  and  you  had  better  hurry  up;  they  are 
after  us." 

"I  can't  hurry." 

"Why  not  ?" 

"Why  the  fools  have  given  me  an  old  crow-bait 
that  won't  go  off  a  walk.  Have  you  got  a  pair  of 
spurs?" 

"No." 

"Have  vou  got  a  knife?" 

"No;  why?" 

"I  want  to  cut  his  infernal  throat." 

When  the}'  arrived  at  Greenhorn,  Wiley  turned 
around  and  said: 

"I'm  going  back  to  face  the  music;  come  on." 

"No." 

"I'll  see  it  through  if  it  costs  me  every  cent  I've 
got.     No  Jew  can  drive  me  out  of  town." 

"If  you're  going  back  let  me  take  your  horse." 

"No,  let's  both  go  back." 

"No,  I  won't.     Let  me  take  your  horse." 

At  this  point  Wiley  burst   into  a  fit  of   laughter. 

"Murray,  you're  the  worst  sold  man  I  ever  saw." 

"How  so  ?'" 

"Why,  the  confounded  Jew  isn't  dead;  it's  all  a 
joke." 

Silently  he  sat  and  cogitated  ;  then  turned  the 
old  cayuse  about,  and  slowly  plodded  toward  the 
town.  There  was  no  sleep  for  the  jokers  that  night, 
but  their  shouts  and  laughter,  mingled  with  the 
clink  of  convivial  glasses,  until  the  stars  laded  from 
the  sky. 

Stilts  and  Fox  have  moved  away,  while  Murray 
has  been  gathered  to  his  fathers,  but  the  woes  of 
Steamboat  Jake  and  the  midnight  fight  of  the  wor- 
thy justice  will  be  repeated  in  Yreka  long  after 
their  bones  will  have  mingled  with  the  elements  of 
nature. 

THE   WAR   IN   AFRICA. 

In  1851,  a  dispute  arose  at  the  forks  of  Salmon 
between  two  descendants  of  Ham  in  regard  to  a 
mining  claim.  One  was  a  mulatto  from  the  city 
of  Washington,  and  considered  himself  superior  to 
the  full-blood  Arkansas  negro  who  disputed  with 
him.  They  differed  somewhat  in  their  political 
ideas  also,  the  black  considering  slavery  not  so  bad 
as  it  might  be,  while  the  opposite  view  was  taken  by 


thelighter-hued  Washingtonian.  The  cause  of  their 
difference  was  soon  forgotten,  while  the  disputants 
confined  their  remarks  to  subjects  of  a  more  per- 
sonal nature.  To  a  suggestion  by  the  lighter  one 
that  a  master  was,  perhaps,  a  necessary  evil,  so  far 
as  a  certain  thick-headed  black  that  he  could  point 
out  was  concerned,  the  thick-headed  black,  without 
waiting  to  be  pointed  out,  gave  it  as  his  opinion 
that  the  other  was  "  a  black  abolitionist."  This 
was  too  much  for  the  sensitive  feelings  of  the 
mulatto,  and  he  effected  a  change  of  base  immedi- 
ately, and  charged  the  enemy  all  along  the  line.  The 
battle  waxed  furious  for  a  few  moments,  admiring 
spectators  cheering  on  the  combatants,  until  the 
representative  of  Arkansas,  who  was  much  the 
smaller  man,  began  to  suffer  severely.  He  then 
drew  a  knife  from  his  boot,  a  favorite  place  for  car- 
rying a  weapon  of  that  kind,  and  plunged  it  into  the 
side  of  his  assailant,  and  ended  the  war  by  mor- 
tally wounding  him.  The  name  of  the  victor  was 
Nathan  Furber;  the  other  is  "to  fortune  and  to 
fame  unknown."  It  so  happened  that  Furber  was 
an  industri..  js  miner,  and  had  many  friends,  while 
the  wounded  abolitionist  gave  his  attention  chiefly  to 
gambling.  In  a  difficulty  between  a  miner  and  a 
gambler,  no  matter  which  was  in  the  wrong  the 
sympathy  of  a  camp  was  always  with  the  miner, 
and  had  the  result  of  the  conflict  been  reversed, 
i  he  mulatto  would  have  soon  graced  the  limb  of  a 
convenient  tree.  As  it  was,  an  effort  was  made  to 
lynch  the  plantation  darkey.  Quite  a  crowd  gath- 
ered and  talked  over  the  matter  of  hanging,  but 
it  was  soon  found  that  Furber's  friends  were  out  in 
force,  and  the  matter  was  dropped.  That  inborn 
generosity  and  hospitality  that  is  such  a  large 
I  iroportion  of  the  Kentucky  nature,  prompted  Ge  >rge 
Reese  and  a  few  others  from  that  noble  State,  to  take 
the  wounded  man  to  their  cabin  and  care  for  him. 
He  was  a  gambler,  a  negro,  and  an  abolitionist,  and 
yet  these  slave-owners  took  him  to  their  home,  sat 
up  with  him  nights,  and  when  he  died  gave  him 
a  decent  burial.  Furber  struck  his  tent  and 
migrated  to  Yreka,  where  he  abandoned  the  calling 
of  a  miner  and  gained  his  living  by  deftly  gliding 
a  razor  over  the  chins  of  the  citizens  of  the  new 
town.  There  are,  no  doubt,  still  living  in  Yreka, 
men  whose  stubborn  beards  have  been  mowed  down 
like  grain  by  the  keen  blade  of  the  Arkansas 
champion. 

THE    OYSTER   BUSINESS. 

A  certain  rather  simple-minded  man  was  mining 
in  the  early  clays  on  Poorman's  Bar,  just  across  the 
river  from  the  lower  end  of  Scott  Bar,  and  was 
approached  one  day  by  another  who  took  him  one 
side  in  a  mysterious  way  and  said  that  he  had  made 
a  great  discovery.  He  had  found  in  the  river  a  bed 
of  oysters  and  he  wanted  the  man  to  go  into  the 
oyster  business  and  divide  the  profits.  The  offer 
was  eagerly  accepted,  and  the  prospective  03'ster- 
man  was  led  to.  where  was  a  large  bed  of  fresh-water 
muscles  of  which  he  gathered  a  generous  supply  and 
prepared  for  business.  No  vinegar  could  be  pro- 
cured, so  he  paid  five  dollars  for  a  jar  of  pickles  to 
get  what  vinegar  it  contained,  laid  in  a  stock  of 
small  tin  plates,  rigged  up  a  tray,  on  which  the 
bivalves  were  temptingly  displaj'ed  on  the  half-shell, 
and   was  ready  for  business.      In  the   evening   he 


JAMES  BEYAN. 


MES.  JAMES  BEYAN. 


JAMES  BEYAN 

Was  born  in  Gorey,  county  of  Wexford,  Ireland, 
November  30,  1S30.  He  was  the  third  of  a  family 
of  seven  sons  of  James  and  Mary  (Whelen)  Bryan. 
James  was  at  home,  working  on  his  father's  farm 
and  attending  school,  until  he  was  fourteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  went  to  the  capital  city  and  found 
employment  in  a  store.  Here  he  remained  until 
1848,  when  he  conceived  the  idea  of  coming  to 
America,  taking  passage  on  the  sailing  vessel  James 
Fagan,  and  landing  in  New  York  in  May  of  that 
year.  For  about  twelve  months  he  followed  vari- 
ous pursuits,  doing  farm  work,  store  work,  and 
other  kinds  of  labor.  In  1849  he  joined  Company 
E,  Fourth  U.  S.  Infantry,  at  Detroit,  Michigan,  and 
in  the  same  autumn  was  removed  to  Wisconsin.  In 
1852  he  departed  from  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin, 
where  he  had  purchased  a  farm  while  in  the  service, 
and  journeyed  to  California,  stopping  for  a  short 
time  at  Benicia,  from  whence  he  was  removed  to 
Fort  Columbia,  at  Vancouver,  on  the  Columbia 
river,  Washington  Territory.  In  1853  he  was  sta- 
tioned with  his  company  at  Fort  Jones,  Siskiyou 
county.  Ulysses  S.  Grant  was  first  lieutenant  and 
brevet  captain  of  same  company,  and  Mr.  Bryan 
was  first  sergeant  of  the  company  for  four  years 
and  three  months.     During  his  entire  service  in  the 


army  he  was  with  Grant.  On  the  fourth  of  August, 
1854,  his  term  of  five  years'  enlistment  had  expired 
and  he  was  discharged  at  Fort  Jones.  He  at  once 
went  to  work  on  his  farm  that  he  had  taken  up  in 
1853,  and  since  that  time  has  been  one  of  the  most 
active  men  of  Scott  valley,  achieving  success  and 
prosperity  as  a  farmer,  stockman,  dairyman  and 
butcher.  He  was  married  in  San  Francisco,  July 
7,  1864,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Fragly,  daughter  of  John 
Fragly.  By  this  marriage  there  were  born  to  them 
the  following  children:  James  P.,  born  May  8, 1865; 
Charles  F.,  born  September  9,  1867;  Mary  A.,  born 
October  13,  1869;  Lillie  E.,  born  May  9,  1872; 
Helena  May,  born  May  3,  1875;  William  J.,  born 
July  14,  1877,  and  Gertrude  G,  born  May  15,  1880. 
Mr.  Bryan  has  six  hundred  acres  of  Scott  valley's 
best  land.  His  present  residence  was  erected  '  in 
1872,  to  take  the  place  of  one  burned  in  1865.  Mr. 
Bryan  has  devoted  his  whole  time  and  attention  to 
the  vocations  mentioned  above,  and  has  never  mined 
a  day  in  his  life.  In  1859  he  ran  a  pack-train 
between  Bed  Bluff  and  Scott  valley  and  to  Weaver- 
ville.  Mr.  Bryan  is  not  a  strong  partisan  in  poli- 
tics, calling  himself  an  independent.  He  generally 
votes  the  Democratic  ticket,  but  supported  Grant  at 
both  elections.  He  is  a  thorough  business  man,  and 
abundantly  deserves  the  success  that  has  attended 
his  efforts. 


■<$K 


. 


4k 


■ 


v-—  fit) 


1 


1  *  1  - 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


113 


entered  a  saloon  at  Scott  Bar  and  soon  had  a  cus- 
tomer in  the  shape  of  a  gambler,  who  paid  fifty 
cents  for  a  plate  of  oysters.  He  put  salt  and  vine- 
gar on  them  and  then  slipped  one  into  his  mouth 
and  closed  his  teeth  upon  it.  A  look  of  surprise 
came  into  his  face.  Something  was  wrong  with  the 
oyster.  It  was  as  tough  and  elastic  as  a  piece  of 
rubber.  Once  more  the  teeth  came  together  and 
this  time  in  earnest,  but  it  was  proof  against  his 
efforts.  Then  he  got  mad,  called  the  innocent  oyster 
peddler  a  swindler,  and  was  going  to  whip  him  on 
the  spot,  but  failed  to  do  so.  The  first  customer  was 
the  last,  and  the  vendor  of  bivalves  started  for  home 
with  a  heavy  heart.  When  he  got  to  the  river  he 
found  the  little  ferry-boat  that  was  used  to  cross  on 
was  on  the  other  side,  and  he  called  to  his  partner  to 
come  over  after  him.  For  a  long  time  he  stood  there 
calling,  but  the  partner  who  originated  and  owned 
a  half  interest  in  the  oyster  enterprise  pretended  not 
to  hear,  and  he  had  to  go  back  to  the  saloon  and 
sleep  on  the  top  of  a  table  the  balance  of  the  night. 
No  one  has  ventured  into  the  oyster  business  in 
Scott  Bar  since. 

DISAPPEARANCE    OF    SAMUEL    P.    FAIR. 

The  disappearance  of  so  prominent  a  man  as 
Samuel  P.  Fair,  sheriff  of  the  county,  under  circum- 
stances so  unfavorable  to  him  and  his  reputation,  has 
led  to  a  great  deal  of  controversy  and  a  variety  of 
opinion  among  his  friends,  for  in  that  list  he  counted 
nearly  every  man  in  Siskiyou  county.  He  was 
from  Coles  county,  Illinois,  and  was  elected  sheriff 
in  1855  and  again  in  1857,  making  a  most  efficient 
and  faithful  officer.  The  first  circumstance  that  cast 
suspicion  upon  Fair  was  the  murder,  one  night  in 
1858,  of  a  notorious  woman  called  the  "Cherry- 
picker,"  in  her  house  on  Miner  street.  She  was 
known  to  have  considerable  money,  and  that  the 
possession  of  this  was  the  object  of  the  crime  there 
was  no  doubt.  In  the  woman's  hand  was  iound  a 
lock  of  hair,  evidently  torn  from  the  head  of  the 
murderer,  in  which  some  thought  they  saw  a  resem- 
blance to  Fair's.  Some  of  this  hair,  at  the  request 
of  the  sheriff  himself,  was  examined  under  a  micro- 
scope, in  the  presence  of  a  number  of  men,  and  care- 
fully compared  with  hair  taken  from  his  head  at 
that  time,  and  by  all  declared  to  be  entirely  differ- 
ent in  shade  and  quality.  Fair  had  never  been 
known  to  visit  the  woman's  place  save  in  the  line  of 
Lis  official  duty,  wdiile  the  contrary  was  the  fact  in 
the  case  of  a  well-known  citizen,  wdiom  many  sus- 
pected then,  and  now  believe  to  have  committed  the 
deed.  He  was  rich,  and  it  was  somewhat  of  a  mys- 
tery how  he  became  so.  He  was  living  with  a 
woman  whose  dress  caught  fire,  in  October,  1858, 
and  burned  the  lady  to  death.  It  was  reported  that 
the  dress  was  ignited  from  the  stove,  but  as  the 
clothing  was  woolen  many  believed  that  the  citizen 
had  saturated  it  with  eamphene  and  set  it  afire,  to  get 
rid  of  a  woman  who  knew  too  much. 

The  next  incident  occurred  on  the  night  of  the 
second  of  January,  1859,  when  the  alarm  of  fire 
about  midivglit  aroused  the  slumbering  firemen 
from  their  beds  and  sent  them  out  into  the  cold  to 
fight  their  declared  enemy.     Dense  smoke  was  seen 


issuing  fr 


the  brick  store  of  Charles  Rose,  and 


great  confusion  prevailed  amom 
15 


the  citizens,  who 


had  rushed  to  the  spot.     The  fire  companies  soon  ar- 
rived, and  the  closed  doors  were  thrown  open,  when 
the  whole    interior  was   found    to    be    ablaze.     So 
fiercely  were   the  flames  burning  that  no  one  was 
able  to  effect  an  entrance,  although  Rose  was  sup- 
posed to  be  within,  as  he  slept  in  the  store.    The  night 
was  cold,  the  valves  of  the  engine  were  frozen  up  and 
considerable  delay  was  experienced    in  getting  the 
machine  to  work,  but  this  was  finally  accomplished, 
and  the  flames  were  subdued.    Inside  was  found  the 
body  of    a  man  so  charred    and    burned    as  to  be 
unrecognizable.       The    next    day,    Coroner    T.    T. 
Cabaniss  impaneled  M.  B.  Callahan,  William  Morton, 
John  Gross,  A.  H.  Purdy,  F.  G.  Hearn,  and  James 
Smith,    as    a  jury,    and  held  an  inquest  upon  the 
body.     The  verdict  rendered  was,  "  We,  the  jurors, 
who  sat  on  the  body  of  an  unknown  man  found  in 
the  house  of  Charles  Rose,  believe  the  remains  are 
those  of    Charles  Rose,  a  native  of  Scotland,  aged 
about  forty  years;    that  he  came  to  his  d^ath  by 
violence,  by  a  person  or  persons  unknown,  and  that 
the   house  was  afterwards  set  on  fire  by  the  mur- 
derer  or    murderers."       Great    efforts    were  made 
to  ferret  out  the  perpetrators  of  this  heartless  mur- 
der.     Rose  was   known   to  always  keep  a  sum  of 
money,  and  his  particular  friend  and  confidant  was 
this  same  citizen.      He  also  had  a  balance  in  a  San 
Francisco    bank,    which   was   ch'awn    out   after  his 
death  by  some  unknown  man.      Suspicion  also  fell 
upon  Fair,   and  when  he  suddenly  disappeared  the 
following  June  without  any  apparent  reason,  save  to 
escape   the  clutches  of    the  law,  nearly  every   one 
believed  him  guilty,  an  opinion  but  few  still  retain. 
The  day  before  Fair  left  town  he  stopped   a  friend 
on  the  street  and  asked  if  he  had  a  place  where  he 
could  go  and  get  a  good  night's  sleep ;  said  that  men 
were    shallowing  him  continually,  and  he  had  not 
closed  his  eyes  for  two  nights  for  fear  of  assassina- 
tion.    The  friend  took  him  to  his  house,  and  before 
retiring  to  bed,  Fair  said  that  he  was  going  to  leave, 
saying  that  he  had  to  go  or  die.      He  had   worked 
diligently  since  the  Rose  murder  to  dispel  the  cloud 
that  surrounded  it,  and  had  run  the  culprit  to  the 
ground    in    the    person    of    a  prominent  citizen,    a 
man    of    wealth   and     influence;     that    this    indi- 
vidual   had    in    his    employ    several    unscrupulous 
ruffians,    ready    to  commit  murder    or    any    other 
crime  at   his    bidding;    that    these    men   shadowed 
Fair    continually,    until   life  had  become  a  burden 
to    him;    that    to    make   public    the    evidence    he 
had  discovered  would  seal  his  own  death-warrant  at 
the  hands  of  hired  assassins;  that  the  guilty  party 
had  told  him  he  must  leave  town,  and  had  himself 
cashed  the  sheriff's  county  warrants  to  enable  him 
to  do  so.     This  the  friend,  who  has  been  his  constant 
and  warm  defender  through  all  these  years,  firmly 
believes  to    be    the  cause  of  Fair's   disappearance. 
After  his  night's  rest,  Fair  busied  himself  in  prepar- 
ing for  his  departure.     In  the  evening  he  went  to 
the  office  of  an  attorney  he  had  employed  to  investi- 
gate these  murders,  and  said  that  he  was  going  to 
San  Francisco  to  buy  material  for  the  new  gas-works 
he  was  interested  in.     The  attorney  told  Fair  that 
he   had  spent  considerable   time    looking    into    the 
Rose  matter,  as  requested   by   him,  and    that   the 
deeper  he  probed  the  more  the  evidences  seemed  to 
implicate  Fair  himself.     Fair  said,  "  I  know  it  looks 


114 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


bad,  and  when  I  come  back  I  will  have  the  whole 
matter  cleared  up."  The  stage  soon  departed  and 
that  was  the  last  seen  of  Sheriff  Fair  in  Siskiyou 
county.  Davs  went  by  and  nothing  was  heard  from 
the  absent  officer.  Inquiry  by  mail  failed  to  reveal 
his  whereabouts.  His  accounts  were  investigated 
and  found  to  be  so  nearly  correct  that  flight  for  that 
reason  was  unnecessary.  It  was  then  supposed  that 
he  had  been  murdered  and  robbed.  A  careful  search 
for  the  missing  man  was  made,  and  he  was  traced  to  a 
hotel  in  San  Francisco,  from  which  he  had  secretly 
departed  about  the  time  of  sailing  of  an  ocean 
steamer.  The  search  was  then  abandoned  and  the 
searchers  returned  to  Yreka  with  the  news. 
Nearly  every  one  then  believed  that  Fair  had 
absconded  on  account  of  a  connection  with  the 
murder  of  Rose  and  the  woman,  but  many  have 
changed  their  opinion  since  and  shake  their  heads  in 
doubt,  while  some  whose  confidence  in  Fair's  integ- 
rity of  character  has  never  faltered,  have  firmly 
maintained  his  innocence  and  asserted  their  belief  in 
the  guiit  of  the  other  party.  The  opinion  seems  to 
be  divided  as  to  whether  Fair  and  the  other  man 
were  both  implicated  or  whether  the  other  man  was 
alone  guilty. 

Nothing  more  was  heard  from  Fair,  except  a 
report  that  he  had  been  seen  in  South  America, 
until  in  1874,  when  the  friend  before  spoken  of 
received  a  letter  from  the  representative  of  the 
United  States  in  Peru,  saying  a  man,  who  claimed 
to  be  Samuel  P.  Fair  hal  just  died  there,  and 
referred  to  him.  Fair  had  assumed  the  name  of 
James  Williams,  and  had  married  there,  and  had  one 
son.  The  friend  sent  an  advertisement  to  the  papers 
of  Coles  county,  Illinois,  for  the  relatives  of  the  dead 
fugitive,  who  responded  unanimously,  and  took 
steps  to  obtain  possession  of  his  property  in  Peru 
The  estate,  which  was  small,  was  settled  by  giving 
the  supposed  wife  and  son  two-fifths  and  the  Illinois 
heirs  three-fifths.  That  the  mystery  that  enshrouds 
-these  murders  and  the  flight  of  so  efficient  an  officer 
will  ever  be  dissipated  is  hardly  to  be  expected,  and 
opinions  of  the  guilt  of  Fair  should  be  guarded  by 
that  charity  due  to  all,  and  which  his  long  career  as 
a  faithful  officer  and  his  character  as  a  good  and 
upright  citizen  entitles  him  to  receive. 

'     MCKEE'S   INDIAN  TREATIES. 

In  1851  the  government  appointed  these  commis- 
sioners of  Indian  affairs  in  California,  with  instruc- 
tions to  make  treaties  with  all  the  tribes  in  the 
State.  They  were  Col.  G.  W.  Barber,  of  Ken- 
tucky, Dr.  O.  M.  Wozencraft,  of  California,  and 
Col.  Reddic  McKee,  of  Virginia.  They  divided  the 
State  into  three  districts,  Southern,  Sacramento,  and 
Klamath,  Barber  taking  the  first,  Wozencraft  the 
second,  and  McKee  coming  into  this  section.  They 
made  treaties  right  and  left,  promising  enough  in 
the  way  of  blankets,  cattle,  etc.,  to  have  swamped 
the  whole  government.  McKee  came  up  the  Klam- 
ath to  this  region  in  1852,  and  many  amusing 
stories  are  told  of  him  and  his  method  of  treaty- 
making.  He  entered  a  store  on  Hamburg  Bar  one 
evening  and  said,  "  It's  all  right  now,  boys,  you'll 
have  no  more  trouble  with  the  Indians;  1  ve  made 
a  treaty  with  them."  After  talking  a  while  he 
asked  if  some  one  would  not  go  up  to  Scott  Bar  with 


him.  "What  for?"  they  asked.  "The  trail  is 
plain,  and  you  can't  miss  it."  "  Well,  you  know, 
the  Indians  are  bad,  and  I  don't  like  to  go  alone." 
"  Why,  you  just  said  you  had  made  a  treaty,  and 
there  would  be  no  more  trouble ;"  and  they  let  him 
go  alone. 

He  next  got  all  the  Shastas  together,  and 
assigned  them  for  a  reservation  the  lower  end  of 
Scott  valley,  just  the  section  the  miners  were  then 
occupying.  He  was  a  self-important  man,  and  to 
impress  the  Indians  with  a  sense  of  his  official  dig- 
nity, and  to  convince  them  that  he  was  a  great 
tyee,  wore  a  flaming  red  vest.  This  sanguinary 
garment  was  the  envy  of  every  Indian  heart  and 
the  focus  of  every  Indian  eye,  whenever  its  wearer 
appeared  among  them.  The  treaty  -was  concluded 
in  due  time,  the  consideration  to  the  Indians  for  the 
relinquishment  of  their  claim  to  the  lands  outside  of 
the  strip  set  apart  for  a  reservation  being  two  hun- 
dred head  of  caLtle.  It  is  a  custom  among  the 
aborigines  to  exchange  presents  upon  the  conclusion 
of  a  treaty,  and  old  Tolo,  one  of  the  chiefs,  set  his 
heart  upon  the  envied  vest.  He  could  scarcely 
restrain  his  impatience  to  sign  the  document,  and 
when  he  had  axflied  his  cross  he  turned  eagerly  to 
the  agent,  threw  off  his  upper  vestment,  and  ex- 
claimed, "  Me  take  uin  vest."  "  What  for  ?  "  asked 
the  astonished  official. 

"  Me  sign  urn  treaty,  you  make  um  me  present. 
Me  take  um  vest." 

McKee  did  not  relish  the  idea  of  exchanging  his 
badge  of  authority  for  the  dirty  and  he  feared  oth- 
erwise objectionable  garment  of  the  chief,  and  so  he 
said,  "  I  give  you  my  name  and  you  give  me  yours. 
You  be  McKee  and  I  be  Tolo." 

The  chief  consented  to  take  the  name,  though  he 
preferred  the  vest,  and  was  thereafter  known  as 
McKee.  The  bad  faith  which  has  characterized  the 
dealings  of  the  government  with  "the  nation's  wards" 
was  not  wanting  in  this  instance.  The  promised 
cattle  did  not  appear.  To  be  sure,  McKee's  son  did 
drive  up  a  band  of  cattle,  but  they  were  all  slaugh- 
tered on  the  Humbug,  and  the  Indians  profited 
nothing  from  them.  The  whites  invaded  and  occu- 
pied the  reservation  as  well  as  the  ceded  territory, 
while  young  McKee  went  into  the  ranching  busi- 
ness in  Scott  valley.  No  wonder  the  Indians  be- 
came dissatisfied,  and  no  wonder  they  should  have 
little  faith  in  any  promises  made  to  them  in  the 
future. 

One  day  the  old.  chief  was  accosted  with,  "How 
are  you,  McKee?" 

"Me  no  McKee;  McKee  bad  man;  me  no  McKee.' 

"What,  you  not  McKee  any  more?" 

"No." 

"You  Tolo  now  ?" 

"No;  me  no  Tolo;  me  give  Tolo  to  McKee." 

"What  is  your  name,  then?" 

"Me  got  no  name." 

And  so  the  old  man,  too  proud  to  bear  the  name 
of  a  deceiver,  or  to  take  back  his  own  which  he  had 
given  away,  insisted  to  the  day  of  his  death  that  he 
had  no  name. 

THE   JUSTICE   MURDER. 

Early  on  Saturday  morning,  September  2G,  1SC3, 
John  Justice  was  found  dead  in  his  trading-post  on 
Long  Gulch,  near  Hawkinsville.     He  lay  in  a  little 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY  CALIFORNIA. 


115 


back  room,  with  his  head  nearlv  severed  from  the 
hotly  by  two  blows  of  an  axe.  Under  him  lay  an 
extinguished  candle  that  bore  the  appearance  of 
having  been  lit  but  a  few  minutes,  while  under  the 
spiggot  of  a  barrel  of  wretched  gin,  such  as  he  sold 
to  Chinamen,  was  a  pint  measure  of  the  liquor  just 
even  full.  About  twenty  minutes  past  eight  the 
'  evening  before,  a  slight  noise  had  been  heard  in  the 
store  by  the  occupants  of  a  cabin  near  by,  but  noth- 
ing had  been  thought  of  the  circumstance.  A  care- 
ful investigation  was  made  and  S.  M.  Farren,  justice 
of  the  peace,  held  an  inquest,  which  all  resulted  in 
the  following  theory  of  the  murder,  but  failed  to 
fasten  the  guilt  upon  any  one: — Justice  was  in  the 
habit  of  closing  his  store  about  eight  o'clock,  and 
would  not.  again  open  the  door,  save  for  some  one 
whom  he  knew  well,  as  he  bought  more  or  le^s  gold- 
dust,  and  too  much  cautiun  could  not  be  exercised. 
The  supposition  was  that  some  one  with  whom  he 
was  well  acquainted  came  to  the  door  and  asked  for 
a  pint  of  gin,  and  that  Justice  lit  a  candle  and  step- 
ped into  the  back  room  to  draw  it  for  him.  Some 
new  axes  stood  in  the  corner,  and  one  of  these  the 
murderer  picked  up,  and  just  as  his  victim  stooped 
over  to  turn  the  spiggot  off' when  the  pint  measure 
was  full,  struck  him  with  the  axe  on  the  back  of 
the  neck  and  felled  him  to  the  floor,  the  candle  being 
overturned  and  extinguished  in  the  fall.  He  then 
struck  him  another  blow  that  nearly  cut  off  the 
head.  As  he  stepped  up  to  the  murdered  man  to 
take  the  key  of  the  safe  from  his  pocket,  his  foot 
rested  in  a  pool  of  blood,  and  kf  t  a  bloody  impress 
of  his  boot  upon  a  sheet  of  paper  near  the  counter, 
that  had  been  spread  out  upon  the  floor  that  day  for 
a  customer  to  try  on  a  pair  of  new  boots.  This, 
however,  was  of  service  but  as  a  clew,  for  the  water 
removed  all  blood  stains  from  his  boot  the  next  time 
the  murderer  worked  in  his  claim.  But  little  was 
found  in  the  safe  to  reward  the  robber  for  the 
bloody  crime  he  had  committed,  and  if  there  is  such 
a  thing  as  a  conscience  in  his  soul,  and  he  is  living 
to-day,  it  must  be  reproaching  him  day  and  night. 
Justice  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  a  much 
respected  citizen,  about  fifty  years  of  age.  Who  his 
murderer  was  the  authorities  never  decided,  but 
there  are  those  who  think  they  could  put  their  hand 
on  his  shoulder  if  required  so  to  do. 

LOAG,    DUEAND,    AND   THE   PIGEON. 

Among  the  royal  good  men  of  Siskiyou  was  George 
Durand-  who  was  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  long  time 
at  Humbug,  and  filled  the  office  of  county  assessor. 
He  is  now  in  Oregon,  but  occasionally  visits  his  old 
friends  and  receives  a  hearty  welcome.  To  play  a 
joke  upon  him  was  the  chief  delight  of  a  number  of 
his  friends,  among  whom  was  John  Loag,  who  kept 
a  livery  stable.  One  day  Durand  was  passing  the 
stable,  where  Loag  and  a  number  of  others  were 
standing,  and  the  joker  said  he  would  bet  the  drinks 
for  the  crowd  that  he  could  shoot  the  head  off  a 
pigeon  that  sat  a  short  distance  away,  with  his 
revolver.  Durand  took  the  bet,  as  it  had  been 
p'anned  he  should,  and  Loag,  who  was  a  tine  shot, 
accomplished  the  feat.  Then  there  was  a  great 
shouting  and  laughter,  and  all  rushed  over  to  drink 
at  Durand's  expense.  They  called  in  every  one 
they  met  on  the  street,  until  a  crowd  had  collected, 


whose  thirsty  throats  made  Durand's  pocket  about 
ten  dollars  lighter.  The  victim  said  nothing,  but 
kept  thinking  all  the  while,  and  when  the  treat  was 
over  he  sauntered  up  to  Justice  Murray's  office  and 
asked  him  what  it  would  cost  a  man  convicted  of 
shooting  off  fire-arms  within  the  city  limits.  When 
he  was  told  it  amounted  to  ten  dollars  fine  and  four 
dollars  and  one-half  costs,  he  swore  to  a  complaint 
against  Loag  for  violating  the  city  ordinance.  A 
constable  was  at  once  sent  for  the  offender,  who 
came  up  in  great  amazement  to  think  that  he  had 
been  arrested;  but  when  he  saw  Durand  sitting 
there  with  a  happy  smile  on  his  face  he  grasped  the 
situation  at  once,  pleaded  guilt}',  paid  his  fine,  and 
departed. 

DAVE   COLTON'S   WEDDING   TOUR. 

When  Charles  McDermit  was  elected  sheriff  in 
1852,  David  D.  Colton  became  his  deputy,  and  as 
McDermit  had  considerable  outside  business  to  attend 
to,  the  duties  of  the  office  devolved  almost  entirely 
upon  Colton,  wdio  was  looked  upon  as  the  officer. 
The  next  term  found  him  sheriff  cle  jure  as  well  as 
de  facto.  In  1854  his  soul  hungered  for  a  sight  of 
his  native  heath,  and  his  heart  yearned  for  a  fair 
young  maid  who  was  awaiting  his  return  in  the 
land  of  the  rising  sun,  and  he  cast  about  him  for  a 
means  of  satisfaction.  It  was  ready.  The  grand 
jury  had  indicted  a  man  named  Holmes  for  the 
theft  of  two  cattle,  which  said  Holmes  was  quietly 
residing  in  the  flower-carpeted  valley  of  the  Sacra- 
mento. Nevertheless,  it  pleased  our  homesick  official 
to  apply  a  telescope  to  his  vivid  imagination  and 
descry  the  object  of  his  search  nestling  in  the  shadow 
of  the  great  State  of  Missouri.  He  applied  to 
Governor  Bigler  for  a  requisition  upon  the  Governor 
of  Missouri  for  the  body  of  said  Holmes,  and  thus 
armed  with  authority  he  speeded  him  eastward. 
After  a  visit  of  several  months  he  returned,  accom- 
panied, not  by  the  criminal,  but  by  the  fair  maiden 
who  had  sighed  and  waited,  and  waited  and  sighed 
for  him,  and  who  was  now  his  wife.  By  Act, 
approved  April  28,  1854,  the  Legislature  paid  the 
exp-nses  of  this  wedding  tour,  to  the  amount  of 
Si, 723,  "for  services  rendered  the  State."  The 
long-desired  Holmes  still  dwelt  in  peace  ami  security, 
and  the  two  stolen  cattle  grew  fat  on  the  succulent 
grass  in  the  lovely  valley  of  the  Sacramento. 

DIGGING   STIFFS. 

Years  ago,  the  miners  on  Scott  Bar  had  the 
pleasant  habit  of  playing  practical  jokes  upon  whom- 
soever incurred  their  displeasure  by  "putting  on  too 
much  dog,"  as  they  classically  expressed  it.  One  of 
their  favorite  amusements  was  to  get  the  object  of 
their  dislike  to  go  out  "digging  stiffs"  some  dark 
night,  and  then  frighten  him.  One  day  there  came 
to  town  a  man  whom  all  soon  disliked,  not  only  on 
account  of  his  assumption  of  "dog,"  but  because  of 
his  general  meanness  and  dishonesty.  They  laid  a 
plot  to  get  rid  of  him.  One  of  the  men  got  into  his 
confidence  and  told  him  that  he  knew  how  they 
could  b  ith  make  some  money.  This  just  suited  the 
man,  and  he  was  ready  for  business.  He  was  told  that 
the  Chinese  had  just  buried  one  of  their  women,  on 
whom,  in  accordance  with  their  custom,  they  had 
left  her  jewelry,  which  was  very  valuable.  It  was 
aoreed    between  the  two  that  the  body  should  be 


116 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


dug  up  and  the  jewelry  secured,  after  which  they 
would  seek  a  new  camp  where  the  vengeance  of  the 
despoiled  celestials  could  not  reach  them.  It  was 
also  proposed  to  the  victim  that  as  they  were  going 
to  leave,  they  might  as  well  take  with  them  all  they 
could  get  hold  of,  to  which  proposition  he  gave 
assent  as  being  sound  and  good  logic.  The  schemer 
knew,  he  said,  where  he  could  lay  his  hand  on  a 
a  heavy  sack  of  gold  dust,  and  they  would  take 
that  along  with  them.  This  was  very  agreeable  to 
the  victim,  who  was  very  willing  to  add  robbery  of 
the  living  to  theft  from  the  dead.  When  night  carae 
on  the  man  repaired  to  the  appointed  spot,  armed 
with  a  pick  and  shovel,  where  he  was  soon  joined  by 
the  conspirator  with  a  sack  of  sand  weighing  about 
ten  pounds,  to  represent  the  gold.  This  the  bearer 
insisted  upon  giving  into  the  possession  of  his 
victim,  so  as  to  assure  him  that  everything  was  on 
the  "  dead  square,"  and  he  strapped  it  tightly  about 
the  man's  body  under  his  clothing.  They  then 
stealthily  advanced  to  the  place  where  the  dead 
woman  was  said  to  be  buried,  and  commenced  to 
dig.  No  sooner  did  they  stick  the  pick  into  the 
ground  than  bang!  bang!  bang!  went  revolvers  all 
around  them.  Away  sprang  the  stiff  digger,  run- 
ning for  his  life,  followed  by  his  tormentors  who 
chased  him  clear  into  the  mountains,  firing  their 
pistols  until  they  were  empty.  He  was  never  seen 
in  that  locality  again,  and  it  was  supposed  that  he 
carried  that  heavy  bag  for  at  least  ten  miles  before 
he  discovered  that  his  wealth  of  gold  had  turned  to 
sand. 

COLTON-CABANISS    DUEL. 

The  nearest  approach  to  a  duel  in  Siskiyou  county 
was  the  affair  early  in  1858,  between  David  D.  Col- 
ton  and  Dr.  T.  T.  Cabaniss.  The  former  published 
an  article  reflecting  on  the  doctor,  in  the  Union, 
signed  Josephus.  Cabaniss  replied  in  a  card  in  the 
Chronicle,  and  a  challenge  was  sent  and  accepted. 
Captain  Goodall  was  chosen  by  Col  ton  to  act  as  his 
second,  while  Captain  W.  D.  Fair  did  the  same  office 
for  Dr.  Cabaniss.  The  terms  were  to  fight  w*th 
U.  S.  yagers  at  forty  paces,  just  north  of  the  forty- 
second  parallel,  or  in  other  words,  just  over  the  Ore- 
gon line.  February  9,  1858,  at  three  o'clock,  was 
the  time  set  for  the  bloody  work,  and  when  the  hour 
ariived  all  the  interested  parties  were  at  Cole's,  near 
the  spot  selected.  Here  means  were  taken  to  so 
work  upon  Colton's  feelings  that  he  made  an  ex- 
planation, and  the  affair  was  settled  without  the 
effusion  of  blood. 

THE   LOST   CABIN. 

The  lost  cabin  is  a  myth  of  Northern  California 
and  Southern  Oregon,  as  illusive  as  an  igwusjatuus 
and  as  unsubstantial  as  a  dream;  the  first  thing 
for  a  stranger  to  hear  about,  and  the  last  thing  con- 
cerning which  to  ascertain  any  satisfactory  infor- 
mation. It  is  a  legend  in  which  vivid  imagination 
has  builded  upon  a  slender  foundation  of  facts,  a 
legend  as  varied  and  different  as  the  relators.  Every- 
one talks  about  it  and  no  one  knows  anything 
definite  concerning  it.  Such  being  the  case,  the  fol- 
lowing legend  has  been  drawn  from  the  man  with 
the  liveliest  imagination  in  the  county,  Alvv  Boles, 
who  claims  to  know  where  the  cabin  is,  a  claim  no 
one  else  has  ever  made  to  the  writer: — 


In  the  good  old  days,  when  California  was  but 
an  infant  State,  there  stood  on  the  road  from  Shasta 
to  Weaverville  a  large  tent,  kept  as  a  public-house, 
and  known  far  and  wide  as  the  Blue  Tent.  Here, 
for  the  moderate  sum  of  one  dollar,  the  weary  traveler 
could  procure  a  meal  of  bacon,  beans,  and  coffee,  and 
allay  his  thirst  with  villainous  whisky  at  two  bits 
a  drink.  This  was  a  noted  rendezvous,  a  resort  every 
night  and  Sundays  for  those  who  desired  to  partici- 
pate in  its  revelries,  try  their  luck  at  the  gaming 
table,  or  swap  lies  with  friends  well  skilled  in  the 
art. 

Late  in  the  summer  of  1S50  there  arrived  at  the 
Blue  Tent  a  company  from  Indiana,  who  had  bidden 
farewell  to  the  land  of  hoop-poles  and  pumpkins, 
and  waved  a  tearful  adieu  to  the  beautiful  Wabash, 
to  seek  their  fortunes  on  the  golden  slope  of  the 
Sierra.  Their  long  journey  across  the  plains  being 
over,  and  the  necessity  for  union,  which  its  perils 
and  privations  demanded,  no  longer  existing,  the 
company  broke  up  into  small  parties  and  scattered 
in  all  directions.  Among  them  were  three  warm 
friends  who  decided  to  cling  together.  They  had 
floated  down  the  muddy  current  of  the  Wabash, 
and  the  ague  had  shaken  their  bones  in  concert  on 
its  banks,  and  now  that  they  were  strangers  in  a 
distant  land,  they  resolved  to  unite  their  fortunes 
and  court  the  smiles  of  the  fickle  goddess  together. 

Two  of  these,  Cox  and  Benedict,  were  men  who 
had  long  since  passed  the  golden  age  of  youth,  while 
the  other,  a  son  of  Senator  Compton,  was  still  in 
the  vigor  of  a  young  and  hopeful  manhood. 

Paying  but  little  heed  to  the  mournful  prediction 
that  they  would  find  but  little  gold,  and  that  their 
scalps  would  assist  in  the  interior  decorations  of  some 
brave  Indian's  wigwam,  they  laid  in  a  liberal  stock 
of  provisions,  and  with  their  blankets  and  utensils 
strapped  upon  their  backs  and  upon  the  back  of  a 
diminutive  and  long- suffering  mule,  they  turned 
their  laces  northward  and  resolutely  bent  their 
steps  into  the  unknown  wilderness  beyond.  Not- 
withstanding the  hardships  incident  to  a  journey 
into  an  unknown  country,  over  high  mountains  and 
across  deep  canons,  during  which  they  lost  their 
mu'e  by  a  stampede,  and  sustained  a  compound 
fracture  of  the  cradle  that  was  to  have  rocked  them 
into  a  competency,  they  arrived  at  the  head- waters  of 
the  Trinity  river,  and  pitched  their  camp  on  the  side 
of  a  small  mountain,  where  a  cold  spring  bubbled 
upward  from  the  ground. 

Leaving  young  Compton  to  attend  to  the  domestic 
duties,  his  two  elder  companions  started  out  upon  a 
short  tour  of  exploration.  They  soon  discovered  a 
beaten  path  or  trail  that  had  been  made  by  animals, 
and  followed  it  leisurely  around  the  base  of  amount 
ain  into  a  small  ravine.  Suddenly  an  enormous 
grizzly  bear  arose  from  a  clump  of  bushes  immedi- 
ately in  front  of  them,  and  with  an  ominous  growl 
disputed  their  passage.  To  run  was  useless.  This 
they  well  knew,  and  drawing  their  revolvers  they 
determined  to  make  as  desperate  a  fight  as  possible. 
Shot  after  shot  was  rapidly  fired  into  the  shaggy 
breast  of  the  monster,  until  they  succeeded  in  dis- 
patching him  without  receiving  any  injury  them- 
selves. They  concluded  to  have  a  bearsteak  for 
supper,  and  approaching  their  late  antagonist  they 
found  him  lying  in  a  hole  several  feet  in  diameter 


■::;ig^gP8»:' 


&¥ 


PATRICK  TIERNEY. 


PATRICK  TIERNEY, 

"Whose  calm  and  intellectual  face  is  very  correctly 
portrayed  by  the  above  engraving,  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Scotstown,  County  of  Monaghan,  Ireland, 
on  the  ninth  day  of  February,  1809.  His  father's 
name  was  also  Patrick  Tierney,  and  as  all  know 
who  have  an  acquaintance  with  the  son,  he  never 
disgraced  the  name  he  bears. 

Patrick  Tierney,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  arrived 
in  the  United  States  in  1840,  came  to  California  in 
May,  1852,  and  Siskiyou  county  in  November  of 
that  year,  since  which  time  he  has  made  Scott  valley 
in  this  county  his  home.  Whilst  he  has  never 
pushed  himself  forward  in  public  life — owing  as  his 


friends  think  to  an  over-sensitiveness  or  diffidence 
of  his  own  mental  worth — he  has  been  held,  among 
those  who  have  enjoyed  his  acquaintance,  a  man  of 
fine  order  of  talent,  of  considerable  private  culture, 
and  the  sternest  uncompromising  integrity.  We 
place  his  likeness  in  our  history,  as  he  is  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  the  county.  A  man  of  marked  character, 
one  whose  life  has  been  an  example  that  the  rising 
generation  could  profitably  emulate.  Now  seventy- 
two  years  old  he  is  spending  his  remaining  days  in 
the  family  of  a  friend — -he  having  no  family  of  his 
own,  that  being  the  only  social  duty  of  which  he 
has  been  known  to  be  remiss — living  upon  the  sav- 
ings of  a  laborious  California  miner's  life,  and  enjoy- 
ing the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  his  neighbors. 


■•" 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


117 


and  partially  filled  with  lava  rock.  While  carving 
for  their  anticipated  meal,  one  of  them  noticed  a 
peculiar  object  in  the  hole,  and  stooped  to  pick  it 
up.  This  proved  to  be  a  little  lump  of  gold,  and 
bearsteaks  were  at  once  forgotten,  while  the 
two  victorious  hunters  sprang  into  the  hole  and 
began  pitching  out  the  rocks  with  feverish  excite- 
ment. A  small  space  was  soon  cleared,  and  the 
loose  dirt  at  the  bottom  was  found  to  be  lull  of 
lumps  of  gold  of  various  sizes,  enough  to  make, 
them  all  rich  and  insure  their  comfort  for  the  balance 
of  their  days. 

Carefully  marking  the  spot  and  securing  their 
coveted  steak,  they  returned  to  camp  with  sampler 
of  the  rich  deposits  they  had  so  accidentally  dis- 
covered. When  they  reached  the  spring  it  was  dark, 
and  their  young  companion  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 
A  diligent  search  discovered  him  on  tup  of  a  ledge 
of  rocks,  in  the  act  of  setting  fire  to  a  pile  of  brush. 
He  had  heard  their  rapid  firing,  and  feeling  uneasy 
about  their  failure  to  come  in,  had  gone  upon  this 
rocky  ledge  to  sec  if  he  could  not  obtain  a  glimpse  of 
them,  and  when  darkness  had  began  to  settle  down 
upon  the  mountain,  had  collected  a  heap  of  brush, 
intending  to  light  it  for  a  beacon  to  guide  them  in 
their  return  to  camp.  Their  presence  rendeied  this 
unnecessary,  and  the  beacon  was  never  ignited. 

Visions  of  Sinbad's  wonderful  va  ley  of  diamonds 
and  of  the  marvelous  riches  produced  by  the  genius 
of  Aladdin's  lamp  floated  before  their  slumber- 
wrapped  eyes  that  night,  and  in  the  morning  they 
moved  their  camp  to  the  vicinity  of  the  wonderful 
hole  where  the  grizzly  had  been  slain,  anil  made 
preparations  for  reaping  the  golden  harvest  nature 
had  provided  them.  Six  hundred  paces  east  of 
where  the  bear  lay,  they  constructed  two  small  cab- 
ins, for  themselves  and  their  possessions,  and  after 
working  a  while  they  decided  to  build  a  good  house, 
and  began  cutting  logs  lor  that  purpose.  As  winter 
approached  with  its  unknown  dangers  of  Indians, 
lack  of  food,  and  possible  burial  by  snow,  they 
decided  to  abandon  their  discovery  anil  go  belo.v. 
Leaving  their  mining  tools  and  camp  utensils,  and 
strapping  upon  their  backs  their  provisions  and  the 
results  of  their  labors,  which  amounted  to  forty 
thousand  dollars  each,  they  entered  upon  their 
return  journey,  blazing  their  way  upon  the  trees  as 
they  went. 

In  due  season  they  again  reached  B!ue  Tent,  and 
convinced  the  croakers  that  their  scalps  still  adhered 
to  their  acustomed  perch  upon  their  crainums,  and 
that  there  was  gold  in  the  unknown  regions,  and 
plenty  of  it.  They  made  no  secret  of  their  discovery, 
exhibiting  their  dust  and  freely  telling  everyone  how 
it  had  been  found.  They  then  proceeded  to  San 
Fiancisco,  from  which  port  Ccx  and  Benedict  soon 
saded  for  their  home  on  the  banks  of  the  Wabash, 
leaving  young  C'ompton  to  serve  as  a  guide  to  the 
treasure  in  the  spring.  It  was  not  long,  however, 
before  he  was  stricken  down  with  the  cholera  mor- 
bus, and  soon  died,  being  attended  in  his  illness  by  a 
man  named  Maxwell.  Both  Compton  and  Max- 
well were  Masons,  and  before  his  cl  ath  the  young 
man  gave  explicit  diiections  to  his  fraternal  friend 
hnw  to  reach  the  auriferous  hole  in  the  far  mount- 
ains of  the  Trinity. 

Early  in  the  spring  party  after  party  started  out 


in  search  of  the  deserted  cabins,  some  of  them  hav- 
ing.the  directions  given  Maxwell,  while  most  of  them 
knew  no  more  than  that  it  w.is  somewhere  to  the 
northward.  In  vain  hundreds  of  men  searched  the 
mountains  in  all  directions,  the  cabins  were  com- 
pletely lost,  but  in  their  stead  were  found  many  rich 
diggings  in  which  the  treasure-hunters  worked  off 
their  disappointment.  Yreka,  then  called  Shasta 
Butte  City,  sprang  up  like  a  mushroom.  The  whole 
of  northern  California  was  opened  up,  and  the  new 
county  of  Siskiyou  was  organized. 

For  several  summers  a  number  of  hopeful  ones 
searched  vainly  for  the  lost  cabin,  and  even  to  the 
present  day,  a  few,  in  whose  breasts  the  lingering 
sparks  of  hope  have  not  been  extinguished,  make 
periodical  visits  to  the  head-waters  of  the  Trinity, 
but  always  return  empty-handed  and  disheartened. 
The  lost  cabin  now  lives  but  in  the  memory  of  those 
pioneers  of  1851,. and  the  tale  of  the  wonderful  pit 
of  gold,  guarded  by  its  huge  dragon,  the  grizzly, 
has  become  one  of  those  marvelous  legends,  in 
which  the  early  history  of  California  is  so  rich. 

THE   SALMON   RIVER    EXCITEMENT. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1861,  faint  and  indistinct 
rumors  were  heard  of  rich  diggings  somewhere  to 
the  northward.  These  fleeting  shalows  were  soon 
crystalized  into  a  well-defined  and  marvelous  story 
of  unprecedented ly  rich  strikes  having  been  made 
in  the  Nez  Berces  country,  on  Salmon  river.  For 
several  years  prospectors  had  been  patiently  search- 
ing for  the  golden  grains  in  the  mountains  of  the 
north,  and  on  Oro  Fino  creek,  a  tributary  of  the 
Salmon,  late  in  18(30,  marvelously  rich  ground  was 
discovered.  In  the  spring,  letters  were  written  by 
the  lucky  prospectors  to  their  friends  in  California, 
whose  contents  were  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth 
and  were  given  to  the  public  in  the  columns  of  the 
press.  It  was  but  two  years  before  that  the 
country  had  gone  wild  over  the  Frazer  river 
mines,  an  excitement  that  had  cost  the  lives  of  hun- 
dreds and  had  impoverished  hundreds  more,  and 
now  the  wiseheads  shook  their  pates  in  a  solemn 
way  and  said  that  this  was  only  another  Frazer 
river  swindle,  and  they  were  ably  seconded  by  the 
newspapers  in  their  advice  to  receive  these  strange 
stories  with  a  great  deal  of  reserve  and  caution. 
In  this  way  the  summer  wore  on,  while  the  marvel- 
ous tales  from  the  northern  wilderness  came  thick 
and  fast,  increasing  as  they  circulated  to  Mun- 
chausen proportions.  The  wise  ones  began  to  think 
they  had  made  a  mistake,  and  ceased  to  shake  their 
heads,  while  the  newspapers  gave  the  stories  a  more 
respectful  attention  and  gradually  lent  the  new 
mines  such  countenance  that  a  fever  of  excitement 
brgan  to  be  rapidly  developed.  Maps,  such  as 
existed  at  that  time,  were  brought  to  light  and 
carefully  studied,  from  which  it  was  ascertained 
that  the  point  of  interest  was  the  Salmon  river,  a 
tributary  of  the  Snake  river,  some  four  hundred 
miles  east  of  Fortland. 

A  few  adventurous  spirits  had  at  once  set  out  for 
the  new  El  Dorado  as  soon  as  the  first  rumors 
be«an  to  define  themselves,  and  from  these  the 
most  conflicting  reports  were  received,  some  of 
them  confirming  the  previous  stories,  while  others 
spoke  of  the  mines   as   being  nothing  better  than 


118 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


could  be  found  in  California.  The  favorable  reports 
were  in  a  decided  majority,  and  quite  a  tide  of 
emigration  set  in  from  California  to  the  Nez 
Perces  country.  When  Du  Chaillu  was  in  Africa  he 
had  a  fight  with  a  tribe  of  natives,  in  which  his 
men  killed  some  half  dozen  of  the  enemy.  They 
had  not  proceeded  fifty  miles  from  the  battle  ground 
before  the  number  of  slaughtered  natives  had 
increased  to  two  hundred,  and  fifty  miles  more 
made  it  a  thousand,  so  rapidly  were  the  dead  piled 
up  in  heaps  in  the  narratives  of  these  breech-clout 
warriors.  Thus  it  was  with  the  stories  about  Sal- 
mon river,  as  the  following  extract  from  the  Oro- 
ville  Democrat  so  plainly  shows:  "  Reliable  men  say 
that  miners  on  that  river  are  taking  out  gold  by 
the  pound — that  they  don't  count  by  dollars  and 
ounces  at  all — that  they  take  out  from  three  to  ten 
pounds  per  day  to  the  rocker — that  there  are  hun- 
dreds who  have  fifty-dollar  diggings,  which  they 
consider  small  pay.  A  man  was  in  my  office  to-day 
who  informed  me  that  he  had  read  a  letter  from  his 
brother-in-law,  stating  that  he  was  making  six 
pounds  per  day." 

With  such  alluring  baits  it  is  little  wonder,  that 
many  were  caught.  The  season  was  getting  late, 
and  a  certainty  of  snow,  rain,  and  mud,  almost,  if 
not  quite,  impassable,  lay  in  the  path  of  every  one 
seeking  the  magic  stream  that  had  but  to  be  seen 
to  enrich  all  its  devotees,  and  yet  they  continued  to 
go.  Some  went  by  sea  to  Portland,  and  from  there 
to  the  mines,  while  others  came  up  by  land,  going 
through  Yreka.  A  great  many  miners  left  claims 
in  Siskiyou  county  that  paid  them  from  five  to  ten 
dollars  per  day,  to  seek  the  place  where  a  day's  labor 
was  worth  a  thousand.  Great  rivalry  sprang  up 
between  Red  Bluff,  Yreka,  and  Portland,  as  to  which 
should  be  the  base  of  supplies  and  the  starting-point 
for  Salmon  river,  each  sounding  its  claims  and 
advantages  and  decrying  those  of  the  others. 

The  result  was  that  some  fifteen  hundred  men 
reached  the  mines  before  the  snows  of  winter  laid 
their  emuargo  upon  travel,  and  sealed  up  the  moun- 
tain-passes with  their  chilling  fingers.  Hundreds 
went  as  far  as  Portland,  and  there,  with  scarce  a 
dollar  or  a  friend,  were  compelled  to  abandon  the 
attempt  to  reach  Salmon  river  until  spring.  Others 
were  stranded,  high  and  wet,  all  along  the  route, 
but  still  the  fever  increased.  Great  preparations 
were  made  to  invade  this  unknown  wilderness  as 
soon  as  returning  spring  should  make  the  mountains 
passable.  Meanwhile  those  in  the  mines  were  suffer- 
ing great  privations.  Those  who  had  arrived  late 
in  the  season  found  that  the  rich  ground  was  con- 
fined to  a  small  extent  of  territory,  and  had  all  been 
taken  up.  They  could  neither  "buy  into  a  paying  claim 
nor  find  one  for  themselves.  Shovels  soil  for  twelve 
dollars,  picks  and  axes  for  eight  dollars,  and  coffee, 
sugar,  and  bacon  brought  seventy  cents  per  pound. 
Great  was  the  suffering  among  those  who  went 
poorly  provided  with  money  or  supplies.  Then  was 
the  time  when  friendship  and  humanity  were  tested, 
and  in  many  cases  nobly  stood  the  "trial.  Little 
brush  cabins  were  built,  in  which  the  miners  huddled 
about  their  log-fire,  and  became  as  thoroughly 
smoked  as  the  bacon  they  subsisted  upon.  Snow 
fell  to  the  depth  of  thirty  feet,  and  lay  six  feet  upon 
the  ground  the  entire   winter.     The   thermometer 


frolicked  about,  occasionally  sinking  to  thirty  de- 
grees below  zero.  Under  these  circumstances  but  little 
work  could  be  done,  and  the  disheartened  and  dis- 
appointed crowd  waited  impatiently  for  spring. 
Provisions  were  packed  in  upon  the  backs  of  Indian, 
or  Cayuse  ponies,  and  were  so  scarce  that  before  May, 
the  earliest  that  the  season  permitted  them  to  be 
transported  in  any  quantity,  flour  sold  at  one  dollar 
per  pound,  coffje  one  dollar  and  a  half,  bacon  two 
dollars,  while  shovels  were  held  at  twenty  five  dol- 
lars, and  dust  was  rated  at  only  twelve  dollars  per 
ounce. 

While  this  was  the  condition  of  those  who  were 
so  fortunate  as  to  get  in  before  the  snow  fell,  thou- 
sands were  awaiting  with  great  impatience  for  an 
opportunity  to  join  them.  Tales  of  suffering  and 
want  had  no  effect  upon  them.  The  cry  of  swinlle 
and  humbug  now  filled  the  air,  but  the  fever  was  at 
its  height,  and  nothing  but  a  visit  to  the  enchanted 
ground  could  allav  it.  A  number  of  meetings  were 
held  in  Yreka  during  the  winter  to  take  steps  for 
the  exploration  of  a  direct  route  to  the  mines,  and 
an  expedition  was  finally  organized,  which  started 
in  March,  and  made  a  bold  attempt  to  cross  the 
mountains,  going  by  the  way  of  Klamath  lakes  and 
Lost  river.  From  this  party  and  from  othersword  was 
received  that  the  mountains  could  not  be  passed  till 
May,  and  still  the  eager  men  pressed  on  as  far  as 
they  could  go,  and  then  waited  for  a  chance  to  get 
in.  As  soon  as  trails  were  again  opened,  they  rushed 
in  with  hundreds  of  new  arrivals,  only  to  find  the 
good  ground  all  claimed.  Away  they  started  in  all 
directions  prospecting.  Parties  would  start  out  in 
the  night,  followed  by  other  parties,  who  suspected 
them  of  having  found  something,  and  these  by 
still  other  parties,  till  two  or  three  hundred  men 
would  be  chasing  each  other  ab>ut  the  country 
with  the  firm  conviction  that  they  were  being 
conducted  directly  to  a  certain  fortune.  In  this  way 
Oregon,  Idaho,  and  Montana  prospected,  and  the 
diggings  on  Powder,  John  Day,  Grand  Ronde, 
Snake,  and  Boise  rivers  discovered  and  worked,  and 
miners  were  scattered  all  over  the  northern  country. 
Towns  sprang  up  on  every  hand,  and  corner  lots 
were  a  drug  on  the  market.  Hundreds  remained 
in  the  new  country,  working  claims  no  better  than 
those  they  had  left,  while  hundreds  more  came 
straggling  back  in  the  best  manner  their  resources 
would  allow,  some  by  stage,  some  on  Cayuse  ponies, 
the  original  and  only  genuine  "crow-bait,"  while 
"Foot  and  Walker's  express"  accommodated  a  great 
many,  who  never  ceased  to  fill  the  air  with  their 
wailing  cries  of  "  humbug."  The  deserted  claims  of 
Siskiyou  were  again  taken  up,  and  many  new  faces 
were  seen  along  the  streams  of  this  region,  and  Sis- 
kiyou  mines  were  once  more  revived. 

Although  disappointed,  the  fever  still  raged  in  the 
veins  of  these  restless  ones,  and  like  the  Wandering 
Jew,  they  seemed  to  hear  the  relentless  voice  of  fate 
crying,  "  Move  on ! "  and  when  the  next  year  the 
Humboldt  mines  were  discovered,  awav  they  rushed 
again,  and  once  more  stampeded  to  White  Pine,  to 
Skagit,  and  a  dozen  other  places,  and  are  now  pour- 
ing into  Arizona.  So  long  as  "  hope  springs  eternal 
in  the  human  breast,''  so  long  will  these  restless 
spirits  flit  from  place  to  place  seeking  for  wealth  in 
some  new  golden  creation  of  the  brain. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


119 


JOAQUIN   MILLER. 

One  of  the  characters  of  Siskiyou  county  was  the 
celebrated  "  poet  of  the  Sierra."  His  true  name  is 
Cincinnatus  Heine  Miller,  and  he  was  born  near 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  November  10,  1812.  Ten  years 
later  the  family  crossed  the  plains,  and  settled  in 
Lane  county.  Oregon.  Young  Miller  enjoyed  the 
privileges  of  a  school  but  six  months  in  his  boy- 
hood. In  1856,  being  but  fourteen  years  of  age,  he 
ran  away  from  home  and  came  to  California,  and 
being  unable  to  earn  a  living  among  the  rough 
miners,  drifted  into  an  Indian  rancheria  on  McLeod 
river,  where  the  lazy,  dreamy  life  of  the  savage 
seems  to  have  filled  the  ideal  of  his  poetic  imagina- 
tion. He  enjoyed  the  proud  distinction  of  being 
what  is  termed  a  "squaw  man"  for  some  time. 
The  free  and  careless  life  of  the  savage  seemed  to 
satisfy  the  cravings  of  his  soul,  and  he  found  the 
society  of  these  children  of  nature,  and  the  faithful 
ministrations  of  the  daughter  of  the  forest,  more 
congenial  to  his  tastes  than  the  noise,  greed  and  tur- 
moil of  a  mining  camp. 

The  massacre  of  Harry  Lockhart  and  his  com- 
panions at  the  Pit  river  ferry,  in  the  spring  of 
1837,  came  near  being  fatal  to  the  young  poet. 
Sam.  Lockhart,  Harry's  twin  brother,  captured  him, 
and  took  him  to  Yreka,  where  he  was  placed  in 
charge  of  A.  M.  Rosborough,  while  Sam.  was  investi- 
gating the  affair.  He  became  satisfied  that  Miller 
was  not  connected  with  the  affair,  and  let  him 
depart;  but  had  it  been  otherwise,  the  poet's  days  in 
the  land  of  the  living  would  have  been  few.  After 
that  event  the  budding  poet  occupied  the  dis- 
tinguished position  of  cook  at  a  mining  claim  on 
McAdam's  creek.  Even  there  he  considered  himself 
a  poet,  as  does  many  a  deluded  young  man,  and  was 
transferring  his  burning  thoughts,  products  of  his 
fevered  imagination  and  his  adventures,  upon  j3aper. 
for  future  use. 

He  dressed  in  a  buckskin  suit,  complete  even  to 
the  gloves,  and  wore  his  long  yellow  hair  hanging 
down  to  his  shoulders.  Hiner  Miller  was  the  name 
he  was  known  by,  for  the  name  of  the  Mexican  ban- 
dit, Joaquin,  was  not  adopted  until  his  poetic  effu- 
sions began  to  tickle  the  fancy  of  an  admiring 
world.  The  Long-haired  Oregonian,  the  un-poetic 
miners  called  him.  They  could  not  appreciate  the 
beauties  of  a  nature  flexible  enough  to  vibrate 
between  poetry  and  bacon;  they  misunderstood  the 
man  whose  soul  soared  in  the  clouds  of  imagery  while 
his  hand  dextrously  stirred  a  pot  of  beans.  'Tis 
our  misfortune  in  this  world  to  be  misunderstood. 
On  Sundays,  when  the  affairs  of  the  cuisine  had  been 
fully  attended  to,  it  was  his  custom  to  walk  up  to 
Deadwood,  arrayed  in  his  buckskin  suit,  gloves  and 
all,  and  sit  all  day  in  the  bar-room  reading  the 
papers.  When  the  warning  finger  of  the  clock 
spoke  eloquently  to  him  of  bacon,  boans  and  plum- 
duff,  he  would  hie  him  to  his  poetical  retreat  in  the 
kitchen  down  by  the  creek. 

One  day  Bill  Hurst,  arrayed  in  a  capacious  pair  of 
gloves,  seated  himself  before  Miller  and  began  to  imi- 
tate the  po  t's  manner  of  reading,  much  to  the 
amusement  of  the  crowd.  The  object  of  ridicule 
paid  no  attention  to  this  maneuver,  but  when  the 
time  of  day  and  beans  associated  themselves  together 
in  his  mind,  he  went  out,  remarking,  "  I'll  have  to 


kill  some  one  in  this  town  yet."  After  this  incident 
some  time,  Miller  was  employed  by  this  same  Hurst 
to  cook  for  him,  and  one  day  the  time  came  for 
"grub,"  and  the  cook  was  gone.  His  soul  had 
rebelled;  he  had  stirred  poetry  and  mush  together 
as  long  as  his  sensitive  nature  would  permit,  and 
he  had  departed,  Hurst's  derrick-horse  disappearing 
simultaneously,  as  it  were.  Disposing  of  this  valu- 
able animal  he  appeared  at  the  town  of  Mdlville,  in 
Shasta  county,  where  there  was  being  held  a  politi- 
cal meeting.  Helping  himself  to  a  horse  belong- 
ing to  John  Bass,  the  fleeing  poet  sped  into  the 
mountains  and  once  more  took  up  his  abode  among 
the  guileless  natives  of  the  beautiful  McLeod.  For  a 
short  time  did  he  roam  among  the  murmuring  pines 
and  linger  beside  the  swiftly  rushing  stream,  whis- 
pering words  of  love  to  the  Dark  Lily  of  the  Brook 
or  the  Wild  Rose  of  the  Forest  with  not  a  cloud  to 
dim  his  dream  of  happiness  and  love,  and  then 
came  the  awakening-.  One  niffht  the  cruel  officers 
of  the  law  appeared  at  the  door  of  his  wigwam,  tore 
him  from  the  cling-ino-  embrace  of  the  Wild  Rose, 
and  bore  him  away  into  captivity.  See  how  he 
describes  it  in  The  Tale  of  the  Tall  Alcalde: — 

They  bore  me  bound  for  many  a  day 
Through  fen  and  wild,  by  foaming  flood, 
From  my  dear  mountains  far  away, 
Where  an  adobe  prison  st  >od 
Beside  a  sultry,  sullen  town, 
With  iron  eyes  and  stony  frown; 
And  in  a  dark  and  narrow  cell, 
So  hot  it  aim  >st  took  my  breath, 
And  seem'd  but  an  outpost  of  hell, 
They  thrust  me — as  if  I  hid  been 
A  mjnster — in  a  monster's  den. 

He  languished  for  some  time  in  the  Shasta  jail. 
Let  him  describe  it: — 

I  cried  aloud,  I  courted  death, 

I  called  unto  a  strip  of  >-ky, 

The  only  thing  beyond  my  cell 

That  I  could  see;  but  no  reply 

Came  but  the  echo  of  my  breath. 

I  paced — how  long  I  cannot  tell — 

My  reason  failed,  I  knew  no  more, 

And  swooning  fell  upon  the  floor. 

Then  months  went  on,  till  deep  one  night, 

When  long,  thin  bars  of  lunar  light 

Lay  shimmering  along  the  fl  >or, 

My  senses  came  to  me  once  more. 

Finally  he  made  his  escape.  How  different  the 
reality  from  the  romantic  description  given  in  the 
poem.     Listen: — 

At  last,  one  midnight,  I  was  free ; 

****** 

Short  time  for  shouting  or  delay, — 
The  cock  is  shrill,  the  east  is  gray, 

Pursuit  is  made,  I  must  away. 

****** 

I  dash  the  iron  in  his  side, 

Swilt  as  the  shooting  stars  I  ride; 

I  turn,  I  see,  to  my  dismay, 

A  silent  rider,  red  as  they; 

1  glance  again — it  is  my  bride, 

My  love,  my  life,  rides  at  my  side. 

Such  is  the  web  of  fancy.  What  is  the  reality  ? 
A  noted  thief  named  Jack  Marshall  is  responsible 
for  the  release  of  Miller  and  his  mysterious  flight 
from  the  jail.  For  a  time  thereafter  he  lived  on  the 
island  in  Scott  valley  with  a  band  of  notorious 
characters,  among  whom  were  Jack  Marshall,  Nels 
Scott,  Dave  English,  and  Frank  Tompkins. 

Time  passed  on.  One  day  in  1859,  a  stranger  ap- 
peared in  one  of  the  saloons  of  Deadwood  and  gave 


120 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


the  usual  whole-souled  invitation  of  "Everybody 
come  up  and  take  something."  The  cordial  invitation 
was  not  allowed  to  grow  cold  upon  his  lips  before 
there  was  a  general  rush  for  the  bar,  and  a  clinking 
of  glasses  followed.  John  Hendricks  was  sitting 
there,  and  some  one  asked  who  the  stranger  could 
be.  "  Whv,  don't  you  know  him  ?"  was  the  reply. 
"  That's  Hiner  Miller."  And  so  it  was.  The  fugi- 
tive poet,  divested  of  his  buckskin  suit  and  his  wav- 
ing yellow  locks,  had  returned.  When  he  heard  his 
name  spoken,  the  stranger  raised  his  filled  glass 
high  in  the  air,  and  brought  it  down  upon  the 
counter  with  a  blow  that  shivered  it  to  atoms  and 
made  the  glasses  on  the  counter  dance  like  mani- 
kins. "Yes,"  said  he,  "I'm  Hiner  Miller.  Is  there 
any  one  here  wants  anything  of  Hiner  Miller  ? " 
Laying  his  hand  on  his  pistol,  he  slowly  backed  out 
of  the  room  and  was  gone. 

Let  us  see  what  the  "Tall  Alcalde"  has  to  say 
about  it: — 

'"Tis  he  !  "  hissed  the  crafty  advocate. 

He  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  hot  with  hate 

He  reached  his  hands,  and  he  called  aloud, 
"  'Tis  the  renegade  of  the  red  McUloud  ! " 

Then  slow  the  Alcalde  rose  and  spoke, 

And  the  lightning  flashed  from  a  cloud  of  hair, 
"Hand  me,  touch  me,  him  who  dare!  " 

And  his  heavy  glass  on  the  board  of  oak 

He  smote  with  such  savage  and  mighty  stroke, 

It  ground  to  dust  in  his  bony  hand, 

And  heavy  bottles  did  clink  and  tip 

As  if  an  earthquake  were  in  the  laud. 

He  towered  up,  and  in  his  ire 

Seemed  taller  than  any  church's  spire. 

He  gazed  a  moment — and  then  the  while 

An  icy  cnld  and  defiant  smile 

Did  curve  his  thin  and  his  livid  lip, 

He  turned  on  his  heel  and  strode  through  the  hall 

Grand  as  a  god,  so  grandly  tall, 

And  white  and  cold  as  a  chisel 'd  stone. 

He  passed  him  out  the  adobe  door 

Into  the  night,  and  he  passed  alone, 

And  never  was  known  or  heard  of  more. 

There  is  a  little  discrepancy  here,  for  he  was 
heard  of  more.  Bill  Hurst  procured  a  warrant 
from  Justice  Quivey  and  with  Constable  Bradley 
went  to  the  cabin  on  the  creek,  whither  Miller  had 
gone  to  collect  some  money  due  him  from  his  old 
employer,  Willis  Thompkins.  This  was  at  daylight. 
Miller  saw  them  coming  and  ran  up  a  hill  back  of 
the  cabin,  followed  by  Bradley  and  Hurst  on  horse- 
back. He  fired  several  times  at  Hurst  who  was  in 
the  rear,  and  then,  being  closely  pressed  by  Bradley 
fired  upon  and  wounded  him,  then  making  his 
escape  up  the  hill.  Several  persons  trailed  him  for 
some  distance  and  lost  his  track.  That  night  C.  H. 
Pyle,  John  Hendricks,  Wesley  Morse,  Philip  Pencil, 
and  Bill  Hurst  went  to  an  Indian  rancheria  a  num- 
ber of  miles  d.stant,  surrounded  it  and  made  a 
search,  without  finding  the  fugitive,  who  had  gone 
to  the  Warren  place  in  the  valley,  where  Tompkins 
paid  him  two  hundied  dollars,  as  they  had  agreed 
that  day. 

Miller  then  joined  Walker's  Nicaragua  expedition, 
and  filibustered  with  the  "gray-eyed  man  of  des- 
tiny "  until  the  collapse  of  that"  scheme.  He  then 
seems  to  have  made  a  reformation,  for  he  returned 
to  Oregon,  read  law,  ran  an  express  line  in  the 
Idaho  mines,  became  a  county  judge  in  Oregon,  and 
finally  blossomed  out  as  "Joaquin  Miller,  the  long- 
haired poet  of  the  Siena,"  to  live  for  a  time  the  pet 
ol   cultured  Boston  and  staid  and  dignified  London, 


and  then  to  fall  ingloriously  from  his  high  pedestal 
into  the  rank  and  file  of  ordinary  literary  toilers, 
where  he  now  remains. 

No  one  expects  a  poet  to  tell  the  truth,  even  when 
he  makes  a  pretense  of  doing  so,  and  when  Miller 
wrote  a  book  entitled  U nivritten  History,  or  Life 
Among  the  Modocs,  no  one  acquainted  with  the 
facts  was  disappointed  in  finding  it  a  bundle  of  false- 
hood and  misrepresentation.  He  claims  to  have 
built  the  "  lost  cabin,"  when  people  were  hunting  it 
while  he  was  wearing  short  pants  in  Ohio.  He 
claims  to  have  married  the  daughter  of  a  Modoc 
chief,  when  he  never  lived  within  a  hundred  miles 
of  the  Modocs.  The  claim  was  made,  and  the  above 
title  given  to  his  book  just  to  take  advantage  of  the 
notoriety  of  the  Modocs  in  order  to  find  a  sale  for 
his  book;  a  piece  of  unjustifiable  literary  charlatan- 
ism. He  lived  with  a  McLeod  River  squaw,  who 
still  gains  a  precarious  livelihood  in  the  cabin  of 
another  "squaw-man,"  who  seems  to  have  stuck  to 
it  longer  than  the  poet.  A  few  years  ago  he  took 
his  half-breed  daughter  from  the  mountain  wilds  to 
San  Francisco  to  be  educated,  an  act  for  which  he 
deserves  great  credit,  contrasted,  as  it  is,  with  the 
course  pursued  by  many  prominent  men,  some  of 
military  fame,  who  have  families  of  uncared-for 
children  in  the  mountains.  In  this  respect  Miller 
stands  head  and  shoulders  above  them.  In  general 
it  may  be  said  of  the  above  book,  that  he  has  taken 
all  the  leading  events  of  Northern  California,  most 
of  which  happened  long  before  he  appeared  there, 
made  himself  the  central  figure,  distorted  the  facts, 
and  given  them  to  the  world  as  a  truthful  account 
of  the  dealings  of  the  white  men  with  the  Indians. 

In  regard  to  the  above  account  of  Miller's  early 
career,  every  statement  can  be  substantiated  by 
twenty  reliable  citizens,  and  the  old  indictment  for 
stealing  Bass'  horse  is  still  on  file  in  the  court-house 
at  Shasta.  Due  credit  must  be  given  him  for  rising 
from  the  low  position  to  which  he  had  fallen.  His 
perseverance  and  study,  aided  by  an  inordinate 
vanity  and  desire  to  be  a  lion  in  the  eyes  of  the 
people,  male  him  succeed  where  thousands  have 
failed.  Would  that  the  same  vanity  could  be 
infused  into  the  souls  of  many  who  still  bask  in  the 
smiles  of,  and  beat  with  a  club,  some  Dark  Rose  or 
Mountain  Blossom. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

INDIAN  DIFFICULTIES. 


Tafe  history  of  Indian  difficulties  in  Siskiyou 
county  will  be  confined  to  the  Sha<ta,  Klamath 
River  and  Mo  loc  tribes,  the  wars  with  the  Pit  River 
and  Rogue  River  tribes  being  carried  on  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  county,  although  participated  in  by 
many  of  the  citizens  of  this  region. 

The  Shasta  tribe  occupied  Shasta  and  Scott 
valle}^  as  well  as  Klamath  river  adjacent  to  them. 
They  were  closely  related  to  the  Rogue  River  tribe, 
and  until  a  few  years  before  the  settlement  of  this 
region  were  a  portion  of  the  same  tribe,  but  had 
become  separated  into  factions  by  the  death  of  the 
head  chief.  The  tribe  was  broken  up  into  distinct 
bauds,  each  having  its  chief.     That  in  Scott  valley 


ROBERT  NIXON,  JR. 

The  parents  of  Robert  Nixon,  Jr.,  were  married 
in  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  church,  at  Castlebar, 
County  Mayo,  Ireland,  in  November,  1829,  and 
soon  after  emigrated  to  Canada,  living  at  Quebec, 
from  whence  they  went  to  New  York,  and  finally 
located  at  Albany.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  born  December  14,  1830.  His  father  was 
a  printer  by  trade,  but  filled  the  position  of  detective 
and  policeman  in  Albany  and  San  Francisco  for 
about  forty  years.  He  was  also  the  pioneer 
railroad  conductor  of  the  United  States,  having 
acted  in  that  capacity  on  the  Albany  and  Schenectady 
road  when  first  established.  Robert  Nixon,  Jr., 
came  to  California  with  his  father  in  1852,  landing 
at  San  Francisco  in  May,  having  traveled  on  the 
first  train  leaving  Aspinwall  on  the  Isthmus  railroad. 
He  went  to  Tuolumne  county  and  commenced 
mining,  but  after  a  long  and  severe  illness  he  returned 
to  San  Francisco.  He  was  employed  three  months 
as  prison  guard  at  San  Quentin,  his  father  being 
captain  of  the  guard.  Being  fully  recovered  from 
his  illness  he  went  to  Marysville  and  worked  on  the 
California  Express,  and  afterwards  on  the  Herald, 
until  1854,  being  one  of  a  joint-stock  company  that 
published  the  Herald  for  a  time,  with  Gen.  James 
Allen  as  editor,  and  O.  P.  Stidger  as  manager.  He 
then  returned  to  San  Francisco  and  worked  in 
various  printing  offices  until  October,  1855,  when  he 
came  to  Yreka.     He  worked  in  the  Union  office  till 


February,  1860,  and  then  went  to  Jacksonville, 
Oregon,  and  worked  on  the  Sentinel.  In  May, 
1860,  he  returned  to  San  Francisco,  and  became  a 
partner  with  S.  H.  Wade  in  a  job  office,  which  was 
awarded  the  first  premium  for  job  work  at  the 
Mechanics'  Fair  in  1860.  In  this  office  Charles  de 
Young  published  his  first  paper,  the  School  Circle, 
having  rented  the  material  in  connection  with 
Augustus  Henry.  Mr.  Nixon  sold  out  in  1861,  and 
came  back  to  Yreka,  where  he  bought  the  Journal 
of  W.  I.  Mayfield,  and  published  the  first  Republican 
paper  north  of  Marysville,  and  the  fifth  or  sixth  in 
the  State.  He  has  stood  manfully  at  his  post  during 
all  the  struggles,  defeats  and  triumphs  of  the  Repub- 
lican party.  November  17,  1864,  he  married  Miss 
Gertrude  A.  Spencer,  a  native  of  Chicago,  born  May 
14,  1845.  They  have  been  blessed  with  seven 
children,  five  of  whom  are  still  spared  to  them: 
Lizzie,  Robert  J.,  Gertrude  A.,  Henry  G.,  and  Julia 
May.  The  names  of  the  departed  ones  were  William 
and  Mary.  Mr.  Nixon  has  published  the  Journal 
since  July,  1861,  commencing  to  issue  semi-weekly 
in  June,  1880.  He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  all 
public  movements,  and  belongs  to  the  fire  depart- 
ment, of  which  he  served  two  terms  as  chief 
engineer.  He  was  for  a  number  of  years  district 
deputy  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  and  the  Turn-Verein.  He  is  a  vestry- 
man of  St.  Lawrence  Episcopal  church. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


121 


was  ruled  by  Tyee  John,  son  of  the  old  head  chief; 
at  Yreka,  Old  Tolo,  always  a  firm  friend  of  the 
whites;  in  Shasta  valley,  Tyee  Jim;  on  the  Klamath, 
Tyee  Bill;  on  Siskiyou  mountain,  Tipsu  Tyee  (the 
hairy  chief);  in  Rogue  River  valley,  Tyees  Sam  and 
Bill.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  true  name  of 
these  Indians  was  seldom  known  to  the  whites,  who 
called  them  Sam,  John,  or  Bill,  or  named  them  in 
accordance  with  some  physical  peculiarity  or  some 
occurrence,  as  Old  Smoothy,  Scar-face,  Rising  Sun, 
Greasy  Boots,  etc. 

Suffering  less  by  hostilities  with  the  whites  than 
the  Modocs,  the  Shastas  have  melted  away  before 
the  advance  of  the  Caucasian  race  like  snow  before 
the  warm  rays  of  the  sun.  Whisky,  disease,  and 
the  appropriation  of  their  squaws  by  the  whites 
have  almost  annihilated  them,  and  to-day  all  that  is 
left  of  the  once  powerful  Shasta  tribe  is  a  handful 
that  will  soon  disappear.  Even  the  original  name 
of  their  tribe  is  unknown  by  them.  Powers  calls 
them  the  Shastika,  and  thinks  that  the  origin  of 
the  word  Shasta,  but  we  have  already  shown  that 
Shasta  is  a  corruption  of  the  Russian  word  Tchastl, 
so  that  Mr.  Powers  is  evidently  mistaken. 

The  Modoc,  or  as  properly  pronounced,  M6-a-dok, 
occupied  the  country  along  Butte  creek,  Hot  creek, 
south  and  east  of  Klamath  lake,  and  in  and  about 
Lost  river  and  Tule  lake,  which  latter  place  was 
their  great  headquarters.  This  name  is  said  by  E. 
Steele  to  be  a  term  applied  to  them  by  the  Shastas, 
and  to  mean  "  hostile  "  or  "  enemies,"  while  others 
say  it  was  derived  from  M6-dok-us,  a  chief  under 
whom  they  seceded  from  the  Muk-a-luk,  or  Klam- 
ath Lake  tribe  and  became  a  separate  and  indepen- 
dent tribe.  The  latter  derivation  is  favored  by 
Powers. 

The  Indians  known  by  the  genei-al  term  of  Klam- 
ath River  Indians  are  those  that  occupy  the  river 
between  the  Shastas  and  the  sea.  Although  several 
dialects  are  spoken  along  the  river,  they  are  divided 
by  Powers  into  two  tribes,  the  Ka  rok  and  Yu-rok, 
meaning  "Up  the  river"  and  "Down  the  river." 
The  former  occupied  the  stream  from  below  Waitspek 
to  Salmon  river  and  up  that  stream,  while  the  latter 
extended  from  them  to  the  ocean.  A  portion  only 
of  the  Ka-rok  tribe  belonged  in  that  portion  of 
Klamath  county  now  annexed  to  Siskiyou,  those  on 
Salmon  river,  and  hostilities  that  occurred  with 
them  will  not  be  treated  of.  The  Klama.th  River 
Indians  were  the  finest  specimens  of  physical  man- 
hood to  be  found  among  the  natives  of  California, 
powerful  and  fierce,  and  gave  the  whites  trouble 
from  the  time  they  first  placed  foot  on  their  hunt- 
ing-grounds. 

Indian  difficulties  will  be  treated  of  in  the  order 
of  their  occurrence,  and  facts  and  causes  related 
with  as  close  an  adherence  to  the  truth  as  is  possible 
when  information  is  drawn  solely  from  the  testi- 
mony of  the  whites.  It  will  be  seen,  however,  that 
even  then  the  record  is  by  no  means  creditable  to 
our  boasted  civilization,  and  could  a  history  be 
written  from  the  Indian's  stand-point  (not  such  a  col- 
lection of  exaggeration  and  untruth  as  composes 
Joaquin  Miller's  Unwritten  History),  it  would  be 
less  creditable  still. 

As  early  as  1835,  the  Rogue  River  Indians  had 
trouble  with  the  trappers,  but  the  first  blood  that 
16 


marked  the  intercourse  of  the  two  races  in  this 
county,  was  wantonly  shed  by  Turner  and  Gay, 
two  Americans,  who  shot  a  Shasta  Indian  near 
Klamath  river,  on  the  fourteenth  of  September, 
1837,  as  has  been  related  in  Chapter  VII.  The 
same  chapter  relates  the  attack  by  the  Modocs  on 
Fremont's  camp  on  Hot  creek,  May  9,  1846,  and  the 
swift  retribution  that  followed;  also  the  killing  of 
an  emigrant  the  same  year  by  that  blood-thirsty 
tribe;  also  the  story  of  the  killing  of  a  party  of 
whites  on  the  McLeod  river,  and  a  fight  with  Shastas 
in  1849. 

FIGHT   WITH   SHASTAS   IN    1850. 

It  was  in  July  of  1850,  that  a  party  of  forty 
men,  of  which  J.  M.  C.  Jones  and  Ed.  Bean  were 
members,  left  the  forks  of  the  Salmon  and  started 
on  the  first  exploring  expedition  up  the  Klamath. 
The  party  of  Rufus  Johnson  had,  a  few  weeks 
before,  gone  up  as  far  as  Happy  Camp,  become 
involved  in  difficulty  with  the  Klamath  Indians,  lost 
all  their  animals,  and  returned  to  SalmoD  river. 
When  the  new  company  reached  that  point,  they 
found  the  Indians  inclined  to  be  hostile.  At  one 
time  a  long  line  of  warriors  was  drawn  up,  with 
bows  in  their  hands,  about  one  hundred  yards  from 
the  trail,  along  which  the  whites  marched  in  silence, 
apparently  taking  no  notice  of  the  savages,  but  hold- 
ing their  weapons  ready  for  instant  use.  No  trouble 
occurred,  and  they  passed  on  unmolested,  their  num- 
bers probably  inspiring  the  Indians  with  a  degree  of 
respect. 

Their  Klamath  guide  left  them  near  Sciad,  having 
reached  the  boundaries  of  the  territory  dominated 
by  the  Shastas,  and  one  of  the  latter  tribe  soon  came 
into  camp  and  was  secured  in  his  stead.  In  all 
their  intercourse  with  the  savages  they  made  use  of 
the  Chinook  jargon,  but  imperfectly  understood  by 
both  parties.  One  night  they  camped  on  Horse 
creek,  and  in  the  morning  two  of  the  men  started 
on  a  hunting  expedition,  intending  to  rejoin  their 
companions  at  the  noon  encampment.  Noon  came, 
and  with  it  one  of  the  men  to  the  new  camp  near 
Oak  Bar.  He  stated  that  in  following  a  deer  he 
ha  I  become  separated  from  his  companion.  The 
company  resumed  its  journey,  and  that  night  reached 
Beaver  creek  and  stopped  for  the  night.  The  missing 
man  still  failed  to  put  in  an  appearance,  and  grave 
fears  for  his  safety  bsgan  to  possess  the  minds  of  all. 
A  squaw  came  down  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
stream,  and  began  yelling  to  the  Indian  guide,  who 
replied  in  an  exciting  tone.  He  kept  on  talking 
and  backing  slowly  towards  the  edge  of  the  camp, 
and  then  suddenly  sprang  into  the  brush  and  was 
gone.  The  men  were  now  convinced  that  the 
absent  hunter  wa«  dead,  and  that  the  squaw  had 
imparted  the  intelligence  to  the  fugitive  guide.  The 
missing  man  was  Peter  Gerwick,  from  near  Toledo, 
Ohio,  whose  fate  was  probably  never  known  by  his 
relatives. 

Early  in  the  morning  the  animals  were  turned  out 
to  graze,  and  Jones,  who  was  lying  clown  and  watch- 
ing them  climb  the  side  of  a  hill  that  led  to  a 
grassy  table-land,  observed  a  peculiar  action  on  the 
part  of  a  fine,  large  mule  that  led  him  to  spring  up 
with  the  exclamation,  "  Boys,  there  are  either  deer 
or  Indians  up  there."  Grasping  their  guns,  he  and 
one  other  rushed  up  the  hill,  and  saw  fifteen  or 


122 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


twenty  Indians  driving  oft'  the  animals.  They 
instantly  fired  upon  them,  and  the  whole  camp  came 
charging  up  the  hill,  and  the  Indians  fled  without 
their  expected  spoil.  One  mule  was  shot  dead  with 
an  arrow,  and  him  the  men  left,  taking  the  other 
animals  back  to  camp.  After  breakfast  they  visited 
the  unfortunate  mule,  and  found  that  the  Indians 
had  secured  a  fine  steak  from  his  carcass. 

A  party  of  nine  then  set  out  in  search  of  Gerwick, 
led  bv  his  hunting  companion  of  the  previous  day. 
They  "found  his  trail  and  followed  down  the  creek 
opposite  Oak  Bar,  nearly  to  the  river,  when  it  sud- 
denly disappeared.  This  was  the  last  trace  ever 
found  of  him,  save  that  a  negro  in  the  party  the 
next  year  at  Scott  Bar,  claimed  to  have  recognized 
the  missing  man's  pipe  in  the  possession  of  a  Shasta 
Indian.  They  returned  to  camp  late  that  night. 
They  could  hear  Indians  in  the  mountains,  and 
arranged  an  ambuscade  for  them  in  the  morning. 
Several  red  shirts  were  hung  on  the  bushes,  five 
men  concealed  themselves  in  a  neighboring  thicket, 
and  the  balance  of  the  company  took  up  the  line  of 
march.  They  had  gone  but  a  short  distance,  when 
a  dozen  Indians  appeared  in  camp,  and  began  to 
appropriate  the  garments,  chuckling  over  their  good 
fortune.  Their  pleasure  was  but  brief,  for  a  volley 
from  the  thicket  sent  them  on  the  keen  run  for  the 
river,  into  which  they  all  plunged.  How  much 
damage  was  done  the  men  could  not  tell,  but  two  of 
the  fleeing  savages  seemed  to  sink  beneath  the  water, 
and  it  was  supposed  they  had  received  their  death- 
wound.  That  night  the  camp  was  made  on  the 
Dorth  bank  of  the  Klamath,  a  mile  above  the  mouth 
of  Shasta  river. 

The  next  day,  Jones,  Bean  and  three  others  made 
a  rude  log  raft,  on  which  to  place  guns,  clothing  and 
tools,  and  swam  the  river,  bound  on  a  prospecting 
tour  up  Shasta  river.  Having  gone  some  distance 
up  the  stream  and  the  day  being  nearly  gone,  they 
struck  across  the  ridge  in  the  direction  of  camp, 
finally  going  down  a  gully  that  led  into  the  Klamath 
nearly  opposite  the  camp.  A  short  distance  ahead 
they  descried  a  little  column  of  smoke,  curling- 
upward  among  the  trees.  Crawling  cautiously  up, 
they  discovered  fifteen  or  twenty  Indians  seated  in 
an  open  space,  around  a  fire,  cooking  their  supper. 
A  volley  was  poured  into  them  and  they  fled,  most 
of  them  going  up  the  hill,  while  three  took  refuge  in 
a  thicket  a  distance  down  the  gully.  When  they 
advanced  into  the  camp,  the  attacking  party  dis- 
covered that  the  cooking  supper,  whose  savory  smell 
had  saluted  their  nostrils,  was  composed  of  juicy 
steaks,  cut  from  the  mule  shot  two  days  before. 
Among  the  abandoned  trinkets  in  the  camp,  was  a 
German  cap,  relic,  probably,  of  some  unfortunate 
man,  which  Enoch  Belange  seized  upon  and  thrust 
into  his  bosom. 

Satisfied  that  if  they  desired  to  get  back  to  camp 
alive  they  must  clear  the  Indians  out  of  the  thicket 
and  impress  them  all  with  the  idea  that  the  whole 
camp  was  after  them,  they  laid  their  plans  accord- 
ingly. Bean,  Belange,  and  one  other  made  a  detour 
and  stationed  themselves  at  the  lower  end  of  the 
thicket,  while  Jones  and  the  fifth  man,  a  Swede, 
entered  the  upper  end  to  drive  out  the  foe.  They 
advanced  through  the  brush,  yelling  and  crashing, 
endeavoring  to  make  enough  noise  for  the  dozen  men 


they  were  trying  to  represent.  The  three  frightened 
Indians  ran  out  of  the  thicket  in  front  of  the 
ambushed  men,  when  bang,  bang,  bang  went  the  guns 
and  two  of  them  were  stretched  upon  the  ground. 
The  third  went  wing  and  wing  down  the  gully,  fol- 
lowed by  Ed.  Bean,  the  unsuccessful  marksman, 
whose  bullet  had  broken  his  intended  victim's  bow. 

As  soon  as  Jones  emerged  from  the  thicket  and 
saw  the  condition  of  affairs,  he  started  over  the  hill, 
to  head  off  the  fugitive  when  he  should  reach  the 
river  and  turn  down  the  stream.  On  flew  the  sav- 
age, soon  distancing  Bean,  until  he  came  to  the 
river.  Turning  to  the  left,  he  continued  his  flight 
down  the  margin  of  the  stream,  running  the  gaunt- 
let  of  half  a  hundred  shots  from  the  camp  on  the 
opposite  bank,  whose  inmates  had  been  aroused  and 
put  on  the  alert  by  the  firing.  These  shots  served 
but  to  accelerate  his  speed,  and  he  fairly  flew  over 
the  ground,  until  he  saw  something  that  caused  him 
to  stop  so  quickly  that  he  nearly  fell  down.  This 
was  no  less  than  Jones,  standing  about  twenty 
yards  in  front  of  him,  and  taking  deliberate  aim 
with  his  rifle.  The  savage  paused,  his  head  and 
shoulders  appearing  above  a  large  rock,  drew  a 
formidable  looking  knife,  and  faced  his  new  enemy. 
A  careful  aim,  a  shot,  and  he  lay  dead  with  a  bullet 
through  his  chin  and  neck,  the  men  on  the  opposite 
bank  cheering  and  shouting  "  Good,  good,  hurrah  for 
the  boy!"  for  Jones  was  then  but  nineteen  years  old. 

While  this  was  transpiring  on  the  river  bank, 
another  scene  was  being  enacted  in  the  gully.  Bel- 
ange advanced  upon  the  Indian  he  had  shot,  wdio 
lay  upon  the  ground  with  a  mortal  wound.  Fit- 
ting an  arrow  to  his  bow  he  waited  for  his  slayer  to 
approach,  and  with  a  last  effort  of  his  fast  failing 
strength,  buried  the  arrow  deep  in  his  enemy's  side. 
Belange  fell  to  the  ground,  the  others  gathered 
around  him,  pulled  out  the  arrow  and  made  him  as 
comfortable  as  possible.  An  old  Indian  canoe, 
made  by  burning  out  the  heart  of  a  tree,  once  a 
good  vessel  but  now  in  a  very  dilapidated  condition, 
was  fortunately  discovered,  and  in  this  the  wounded 
man  was  ferried  back  to  camp,  the  others  swim- 
ming and  pushing  the  boat.  All  were  satisfied  that 
he  had  received  a  mortal  wound,  and  one  of  the 
men,  the  only  church  member  in  the  party,  went  to 
his  tent  and  prayed  with  the  sufferer.  He  was 
from  Plymouth,  Indiana,  and  had  left  a  little 
daughter  behind  him,  for  whom  he  now  grieved, 
lamenting  his  untimely  end  at  the  hands  of  a  sav- 
age in  the  wilderness.  The  wound  was  a  long, 
ugly-looking  gash  in  the  side,  and  it  was  supposed 
that  the  head  of  the  arrow  was  still  buried  in  it, 
but  a  visit  to  the  battle  ground  by  Jones  and  Bean 
the  next  morning  resulted  in  the  finding  of  the 
arrow  with  the  bloody  head  still  upon  it.  The 
intelligence  worked  like  magic  upon  tne  fast  sink- 
ing man,  and  he  began  to  amend  rapidly.  It  was 
then  discovered  that  his  life  had  been  saved  by  the 
cap  he  had  thrust  into  his  bosom  at  the  Indian 
camp-fire,  and  which,  alone,  had  prevented  the 
arrow  from  going,  possibly,  clear  through  him. 

While  in  camp  here  the  party  was  joined  by 
company  under  Rufus  Johnson,  who  had  followed 
from  the  Salmon,  making  the  company  then  sixty 
strong.  Notwithstanding  their  numbers,  there 
were  but  a  few  who  were  willing  to  remain  in  this 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


123 


region,  on  account  of  the  Indians,  -and  a  few  days 
later  they  passed  down  the  Oregon  trail  to  Shasta. 
Although  the  fear  of  Indians  was  strong  upon 
the  majority  of  the  party,  there  were  some  who  were 
valiant  enough  when  it  was  perfectly  safe  to  be  so. 
One  of  these  was  a  big  Irishman,  who  crossed  the 
river  the  morning  after  the  fight  and  boldly  scalped 
the  savage  Jones  had  killed,  exclaiming,  "  Bejabers, 
yez  hev  no  right  to  be  an  Inj  in."  This  trophy  he 
fastened  to  his  bridle,  and  bore  it  with  the  proud 
mien  of  a  conqueror. 

BLOODY   POINT    IN    1851. 

In  the  early  part  of  February,  1851,  a  party  of 
six  men,  among  whom  were  two  brothers  named 
Smith  and  a  French  Canadian  who  had  formerly 
been  a  trapper  in  the  service  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company,  was  passing  from  Oregon  to  California, 
on  the  old.  emigrant  road  by  way  of  Pit  river,  and 
camped  one  night  near  the  famous  Bloody  Point,  on 
Tule  lake.  During  the  night  a  swarm  ot  Modocs 
surrounded  their  camp,  poured  in  upon  the  travelers 
a  cloud  of  arrows  and  made  the  air  shudder  with 
their  demoniacal  yells.  All  night  long  the  six  beleag- 
uered men  lay  hidden  in  the  tall  grass,  firing  their 
guns  whenever  the  form  of  an  enemy  was  exposed 
for  an  instant  to  their  view.  The  Indians,  aimed 
simply  with  their  bows  and  arrows,  had  great 
respect  for  the  loud-speaking  rifles,  and  when  the 
gray  dawn  of  morning  began  to  light  up  the  scene, 
they  hastily  departed,  leaving  their  intended  victims 
to  pursue  their  journey  unmolested.  Upon  compar- 
ing notes,  it  was  found  that  the  Canadian  was 
wounded  in  the  head  and  one  of  the  Smiths  in  the 
arm,  but  neither  of  them  seriously.  Several  of  their 
assailants  had  been  seen  to  fall  during  the  fight,  but 
a  search  failed  to  reveal  any  "'good  Indians,"  and  it 
was  evident  that  they  had  been  carried  off  by  the 
others.  The  six  men  retraced  their  steps  to  Oregon, 
and  soon  afterwards  came  to  Yreka. 

BEN.    WEIGHT    AND    MODOCS   IN    1851. 

In  the  summer  of  1851,  a  number  of  men  had 
taken  up  land  claims  in  Shasta  valley  and  cut  large 
quantities  of  hay  for  the  Yreka  market.  Besides 
the  ox-teams  they  used  to  draw  this  hay  to  town 
they  all  had  more  or  less  hor.-es,  cattle  and  mules. 
Ihe  Modocs  were  in  the  1  abit  of  swooping  down 
upon  these  at  night  and  running  (hem  off  over  the 
Eutte  Creek  mountains.  N.  D.  Julien,  still  living 
in  the  valley,  was  a  heavy  loser  in  this  way.  Late 
in  the  summer  they  stampeded  a  corral  full  of  ani- 
mals near  Butteville,  getting  away  with  forty-six 
fine  mules  and  horses,  twenty-five  of  which  belonged 
to  a  pack-train  owned  by  Augustus  Meamber,  then 
on  his  way  to  Yreka  with  a  load  of  goods.  There  is 
no  doubt  that  the  Indians  received  credit  for  a  great 
deal  of  stealingilone  by  white  men,  for  there  was  an 
organized  band  of  stock  thieves  operating  here  at 
that  time,  who  lost  no  opportunity  to  lay  their  own 
guilty  deeds  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  Indians. 
After  this  last  act,  however,  which  was  certainly 
the  work  of  Modocs,  a  volunteer  company  was 
organized  to  punish  the  depredators.  One  of  the 
men  who  offered  his  services  was  William  R.  Fan- 
ning, now  living  at  Grant's  Pass,  Oregon,  and  the 
following  account  of  the  formation  of  the  company 
and  the  events  of  the  expedition  is  substantially 


the  same  as  contained  in  a  letter  received  from  that 
gentleman. 

A  notice  was  circulated  through  Yreka  and 
vicinity,  that  a  meeting  would  be  held  on  a  certain 
day  at  the  ranch  of  one  Brown,  who  lived  a  few 
miles  from  Yreka,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a 
company  of  men  to  chastise  them,  and,  if  possible, 
to  recover  the  stolen  stock.  A  few  men  appeared 
on  the  appointed  day  and  camped  to  await  the 
arrival  of  a  sufficient  number  to  make  the  proposed 
expedition  a  success.  They  kept  dropping  in  by 
twos  and  threes,  until,  in  a  few  days,  quite  a  num- 
ber of  men  were  collected  together.  By  a  unan- 
imous vote  we  decided  to  send  for  Ben.  Wright,  who 
was  then  living  at  Cottonwood,  some  twenty  miles 
from  Yreka.  He  came  at  once  upon  being  informed 
of  the  opportunity  to  hunt  redskins,  and  was  pressed 
to  take  command  of  the  company.  This  he  declined 
to  do,  saying  that  he  preferred  to  do  his  fighting  in 
the  ranks.  We  then  elected  for  captain,  Samuel 
Smith,  a  rancher,  and  induced  Wright  to  act  as 
scout  and  guide.  This  suited  him  exactly,  giving 
him  an  opportunity  to  gratify  that  restless,  dare- 
devil spirit  for  which  he  was  famous.  The  com- 
pany was  composed  of  about  twenty  men,  mostly 
miners  from  the  vicinity  of  Yreka.  I  have  forgotten 
a  portion  of  them,  but  among  them  were,  Samuel 
Smith,  captain;  Ben.  Wright,  scout  and  guide; 
George  Rodgers,  Morris  Rodgers,  Henry  Smith, 
brother  of  the  captain,  William  Brown,  William 
Kershaw,  Lin.  Abel,  Frank  Tomlinson,  Frank  Faw- 
set,  Jacob  Rhoads,  John  Onsby,  Augustus  Meamber, 
William  R.  Fanning,  an  old  Spaniard  called  Dobe 
John,  another  Spaniard  whose  name  is  forgotten, 
and  two  Oregon  Indians  who  had  come  in  with 
Wright  from  Cottonwood. 

N.  D.  Julk-n  furnished  a  quantity  of  beef,  which 
we  jerked  or  dried  for  use  while  on  the  march. 
Having  prepared  the  beef  and  obtained  other  pro- 
visions in  sufficient  quantity,  everything  was  placed 
on  pack-animals  and  all  was  ready.  We  were  all 
mounted,  each  man  armed  with  rifle  and  revolver. 
Proceeding  eastward  in  the  direction  of  the  Modoc 
country,  we  camped  alter  an  easy  day's  journey, 
and  some  time  in  the  night  the  Indians  stampeded 
our  horses,  but  we  succeeded  in  recovering  them. 
The  next  day  we  found  the  trail  of  this  party  and 
followed  it  all  day  without  overtaking  them.  In 
the  afternoon  of  the  second  day  the  country  became 
so  very  rocky  that  wo  lost  the  trail.  Wright,  accom- 
panied by  one  of  his  Indian  friends,  started  out  to 
hunt  it,  while  the  rest  of  the  party  camped.  They 
did  not  return  that  night,  and  we  thought  that  our 
brave  scout  and  his  companion  were  certainly  killed. 
On  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day,  however,  they 
came  in  and  reported  that  they  had  found  the  trail 
and  an  Indian  village,  the  latter  situated  on  Lost 
river.  Wright  said  that  he  and  his  fellow  scout 
had  looked  at  the  village  from  the  summit  of  a  high 
hill,  um-een  by  its  occupants;  that  considerable  stock 
was  being  herded  near  the  rancheria,  and  estimated 
the  number  of  savages  at  two  or  three  hundred  men, 
women  and  children.  Of  course  we  were  all  anxious 
to  rush  off  and  fight  them,  but  Wright  advised  us 
to  wait  until  the  next  day,  when,  by  starting  early 
in  the  morning,  we  could  have  time  to  reach  the  vil- 
lage before  night;  then  to  ride  near  enough  to  make 


124 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


all  necessary  observations,  and  without  appearing  to 
notice  anything  in  particular,  pass  on  as  if  we 
were  merely  a  party  of  travelers;  that  we  should 
then  camp  at  quite  a  distance  from  the  village,  go 
back  in  the  night  and  attack  them  at  daylight.  He 
said  that  was  the  way  to  right  Indians,  and  to  take 
them  at  a  disadvantage  in  any  other  way  was  impos- 
sible. We  decided  to  do  as  he  advised,  and  started 
on  our  journey  at  daylight  the  next  morning.  About 
the  middle  of  the  afternoon  we  passed  the  village, 
and  the  Indians  ran  out  to  look  at  us,  but  without 
seeming  to  notice  them  at  all  we  rode  on  and  camped 
some  eight  miles  away.  Some  of  the  Indians  fol- 
lowed and  kept  us  in  sight  till  we  camped,  when, 
probably  thinking  we  were  too  far  away  to  molest 
them,  they  returned  to  their  village.  We  turned 
our  horses  out  to  graze  in  charge  of  two  men,  and 
leisurely  proceeded  to  get  supper. 

An  hour  after  dark  our  horses  were  brought  in, 
saddled  up,  and  everything  put  in  readiness  to  move 
camp  at  a  moment's  notice.  Leaving  them  in  care 
of  five  men  with  orders  to  bring  them  on  at  daylight, 
the  balance  of  us  started  for  the  village.  When  we 
passed  it  that  afternoon  we  all  supposed  it  to  be  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  so  now  we  crossed  the 
stream  at  the  natural  bridge  where  the  water  was 
but  a  few  inches  deep,  several  miles  from  the  village, 
and  passed  quickly  along  the  bank.  Approaching 
the  rancheria  we  were  chagrined  to  find  that  the 
crookedness  of  the  river  had  deceived  us,  and  that 
the  village  was  on  the  other  side.  The  stream  at 
that  point  being  only  thirty  yards  wide  but  so  deep 
that  to  cross  it  was  impossible,  we  decided  to  stay 
and  fight  them  from  across  the  river.  They  were  in 
total  ignorance  of  our  proximity,  and  at  daylight  an 
Indian  stepped  out  of  a  wickiup  and  uttered  a 
peculiar  sound.  Instantly  three  or  four  more,  evi- 
dently guards,  came  in  from  somewhere  and  entered 
the  tent.  The  one  who  had  come  out  untied  a  pony 
which  was  picketed  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the 
tent,  and  led  him  up  in  front  of  it,  when  Wright 
said  in  a  low  tone,  "  We  will  commence  by  shooting 
that  Indian."  Two  of  us  who  were  standing  at  his 
side  filed,  killing  the  savage  instantly.  The  Indians 
came  rushing  out  of  their  wickiups  in  confusion,  and 
fought  desperately  for  a  while,  having  nothing  but 
bows  and  arrows  and  protecting  themselves  with 
shields  made  of  tule  rushes,  old  tin  pans,  etc.  Sev- 
eral men  were  wounded  by  arrows  which  were  shot 
with  great  force  and  precision.  As  soon  as  they 
found  that  their  shields  would  not  stop  bullets,  the'y 
began  to  waver  and  hunt  for  shelter.  We  fired  as 
fast  as  we  could  load  our  rifles,  reserving  our  revol- 
vers at  Wright's  suggestion,  to  be  used  if  we  should 
come  to  close  quarters.  After  a  short  resistance 
they  took,  to  their  heels  and  deserted  the  village. 
The  men  who  had  brought  on  the  pack  and  saddle 
animals  according  to  orders,  heard  the  noise  of  the 
contest  and  broke  into  a  wild  gallop  towards  the 
battle-ground.  Discovering  the  Indian  canoes  and 
supposing  the  fun  was  on  our  side  of  the  river,  they 
left  the  animals  and  crossed  over.  Thus  we  were 
enabled  to  reach  the  village  without  difficulty,  where 
we  found  some  sixteen  dead  Indians.  In  the  tents 
we  found  a  great  deal  of  hair,  which,  beyond  a 
doubt,,  was  taken  from  the  heads  of  white  people 
whom   they  had  murdered.     We  captured  several 


head  of  horses,  but  found  nothing  else  about  the 
village  of  any  value  to  us.  We  then  mounted  our 
horses  and  camped  a  few  miles  beyond  at  a  nice 
spring  of  water. 

At  this  place  we  remained  several  weeks,  occa- 
sionally sending  out  scouting  parties  and  scouring 
the  country  in  all  directions.  In  these  raids  we 
found  several  head  of  horses  and  cattle,  which  we 
drove  into  camp,  killing  the  cattle  for  food.  After 
much  difficulty  we  managed  to  communicate  with 
the  Indians,  and  induced  them  to  come  into  camp  to 
make  a  treaty.  Wright  talked  plainly  to  them, 
and  they  finally  agreed  to  bring  in  the  stolen  stock 
and  refrain  from  molesting  the  settlers,  on  condition 
that  the  white  men  would  leave  their  country  and 
not  trouble  them  again.  In  pursuance  of  this  agree- 
ment they  brought  in  a  few  head  of  horses  and 
cattle,  saying  that  was  all  they  had,  though  we  had 
good  reason  to  believe  they  had  more.  Believing 
they  were  pretty  well  whipped  and  anxious  for 
peace,  and  as  the  weather  was  quite  cold,  provisions 
about  all  used  up,  etc.,  we  thought  it  best  to  return 
home.  Accordingly  we  took  what  stock  we  had 
and  retired  in  the  direction  of  Yreka,  reaching  a 
small  stream  called  Willow  creek  in  the  evening. 
That  night  the  Indians  attacked  us,  shooting  arrows 
into  our  camp,  though  without  doing  any  damage, 
and  succeeded  in  stampeding  our  animals  so  as  to 
get  away  with  eleven  of  them.  We  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  they  needed  a  better  drubbing  than 
we  had  given  them,  and  four  of  us  started  to  Yreka 
for  provisions  for  a  new  campaign.  Wnen  several 
miles  from  the  camp  on  our  return  we  met  some 
men  who  had  come  out  to  escort  us  in,  fearing  we 
would  be  cut  off.  Those  of  our  party  who  had 
remained  in  the  Modoc  country  had  not  been  idle. 
On  the  morning  that  we  started  after  provisions 
they  went  in  pursuit  of  the  band  that  stole  our 
horses  and  overtook  them.  A  running  fight  was 
maintained  for  several  miles,  a  number  of  Indians 
being  killed  and  a  few  horses  recaptured.  The 
Indians  took  refuge  in  the  tules  on  Lost  river,  where 
the  men  could  not  follow  them  on  horseback.  The 
water  and  snow  were  about  knee  deep,  partially 
frozen,  and  the  mixture  of  snow  and  ice  was  pleas- 
ant to  no  one  but  a  Modoc.  Finding  the  Indians 
were  beyond  their  reach  they  returned  to  the  camp 
on  Willow  creek  to  await  our  coming,  in  the  mean- 
while discovering  a  village  in  the  tules  near  the 
mouth  of  Lost  river.  A  consultation  was  held,  and 
in  pursuance  of  a  suggestion  from  Wright,  we 
started  at  eleven  o'clock  of  the  night  of  our  return 
from  Yreka,  striking  the  river  some  distance  above 
the  village,  which,  as  we  rode  quietly  down  the 
stream,  we  discovered  to  be  on  an  island  in  the 
midst  of  the  tules.  The  Indians  became  aware  of 
our  approach,  and  collected  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  stream  and  opposed  our  crossing  with  a  cloud 
of  arrows.  It  was  just  light  enough  for  us  to  see 
that  the  water  was  shallow,  but  fearing  our  horses 
would  become  mired  if  we  rode  in,  we  dismounted 
and  all  but  five  of  us  charged  across  on  foot,  through 
water  two  feet  deep  and  as  cold  as  water  ever  gets 
without  freez'ng.  The  Indians  scattered  in  all 
directions  and  hid  in  the  tules,  but  we  made  directly 
for  the  island,  surrounded  it  and  took  about  thirty 
prisoners,  all  of  whom   but  three  were  women  and 


RICHARD   BEERS  LOOS. 

He  was  born  at  Newcomerstown,  Tuscarawas 
county,  Ohio,  October  4,  1860.  His  parents  are 
Philip  and  Marilda  Loos,  he  being  their  only  child. 
His  father  is  a  native  of  the  same  county,  and  his 
mother  of  Coshocton  town  and  county.  Richard 
attended  school  from  1866  to  1872.  At  the  early 
age  of  twelve  years  he  began  to  lay  the  foundations 
for  his  journalistic  career  by  entering  the  office  of 
the  Nevvcomerstown  Argus  as  an  apprentice  to  the 
printing  business.  He  served  there  for  three  years, 
the  first  year  at  fifteen  dollars  per  month,  the  second 
year  at  twenty-five  dollars  per  month,  and  the  third 
at  thirty-five  dollars  per  month.  At  that  time  he 
had  acquired  a  good  practical  knowledge  of  printing, 
which  education  has  been  of  benefit  to  him  in  more 
ways  than  one.  In  the  latter  part  of  1875  he 
entered  the  Central  Ohio  journalistic  school  at  New- 
comerstown,  the  only  school  of  that  kind,  we  might 
add,  in  the  world.  He  graduated  in  the  first  class 
in  1876.  The  course  of  study  was  practical  journal- 
ism on  the  college  journal,  to  which  the  students, 
twenty-five  in  number,  contributed  all  the  matter 
for  publication,  which  first  had  to  pass  the  criticism 
of  Prof.  A.  N.  Search,  once  editor  of  the  Toledo 
daily  Commercial.  All  copy  containing  mistakes 
was  consigned  to  the  waste-basket  after  the  errors 
had  been  pointed  out  to  the  writer.  Upon  graduat- 
ing in  this  course,  Mr.  Loos  again  associated  himself 
with  the  Argus  as  local  editor,  serving  in  this  capa- 
city for  three  months,  when  the  office  was  destroyed 
by  fire.  In  January,  1877,  he  commenced  the  pub- 
lication of  a  new  paper  at  that  place,  called  the 
Buckeye  Democrat.      He  took   into  partnership  on 


the  first  of  April,  U.  V.  Kent*  and  William  Fer- 
guson, two  Cadiz  (Ohio)  boys,  and  founded  the  New- 
comerstown  Eye,  an  eight-page,  sixty-four-column 
paper.  In  February,  1878,  he  left  the  Eye  in  charge 
of  his  two  partners,  and  took  charge  of  the  Caldwell 
Republican,  while  the  owner,  Mr.  William  Coolev, 
was  visiting  in  Europe.  He  edited  that  paper  for 
seven  months,  until  Mr.  Cooley's  return,  then 
resumed  active  connection  with  the  Eye,  buying  out 
his  partners  and  continuing  the  business  alone.  On 
the  thirteenth  of  July,  1878,  he  sold  the  establish- 
ment to  W.  A.  Johns,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  that 
place,  and  started  for  California,  August  12,  1879. 
On  the  twenty-third  of  September,  1880,  he  pur- 
chased a  half  interest  in  the  Yreka  Tribune,  but  sold 
to  his  partner  in  December.  He  commenced  the 
publication  of  the  Etna  Weekly  Post,  July  2,  1881. 
This  paper,  though  but  recently  established,  has 
already  a  circulation  of  500  paying  subscribers 
at  three  dollars  per  year.  The  spicy  nature  of  its 
matter  has  caused  it  to  circulate  quite  largely  in 
the  East.  Richard  Loos  is  probably  the  youngest 
journalist  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  has  had  an 
experience  not  possessed  by  many  older  ones.  He 
was  twenty-one  years  of  age  on  the  fourth  of 
October  of  this  year,  and  yet  he  manages  a  paper 
that  has  been  a  genuine  success  from  the  start. 
Abo  t  the  time  that  the  newsy  Post  came  into  exis- 
tence he  was  married  to  the  eldest  daughter  of  Mr. 
George  Smith,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  substantial 
farmers  of  Scott  valley,  Siskiyou  county.  The 
ceremony  took  place  at  Etna  on  the  thirty-first  of 
March,  1881.  The  many  friends  of  bride  and 
bridegroom  wish  them  long-continued  happiness. 


■';.'  ..„,■.     -' . 


&i 


-  Par^i-Si  MH'£  ■  '-."*. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


12c 


children.  Placing  a  guard  over  these,  we  next  pro- 
ceeded to  hunt  up  those  who  were  secreted  in  the  tules. 
We  found  quite  a  number  of  them  along  the  river 
bank,  who  plunged  into  the  icy  water  at  our 
approach,  and  hid  in  the  grass  like  so  many  ducks. 
VVe  spent  the  entire  day  in  hunting  them,  anil 
killed  fifteen  or  twenty,  several  men  and  horses 
being  slightly  injured  by  arrows.  In  the  evening 
we  marched  our  prisoners  about  two  miles,  and 
camped  in  a  deep  ravine,  all  of  us  standing  guard 
that  night,  expecting  an  attack  before  morning. 
The  night  passed  quietly,  and  in  the  morning  we 
returned  with  our  prisoners  to  the  camp  on  Willow 
creek.  Here  we  remained  several  weeks,  sending 
out  scouting  parties,  and  occasionally  seeing  a  few 
Indians. 

The  prisoners  told  us  that  the  people  of  their  vil- 
lage hail  not  molested  us,  but  that  the  guilty  parties 
Were  Indians  living  on  the  other  side  of  the  river. 
All  our  efforts  to  find  them,  however,  were  unsuc- 
cessful, and  all  our  persuasions  to  induce  the  cap- 
tives to  ted  us  where  they  were,  had  no  effect  upon 
them.  They  male  several  unsuccessful  attempts  to 
escape,  and  thinking,  no  doubt,  that  we  intended  to 
starve  them,  for  our  provisions  had  run  low  again, 
one  of  the  warriors  agreed  to  conduct  us  to  their 
hiding-place,  Wright  promising  to  give  all  the  pris- 
oners their  liberty.  It  was  about  the  first  of  Novem- 
ber and  bitterly  cold,  snow  covering  the  ground  to 
the  depth  of  six  inches.  Through  the  hard  crust 
that  had  formed  on  this,  the  horses  broke  at  every 
step,  rendering  progress  slow  and  tedious.  We  took 
with  us  only  the  two  braves,  one  having  been  killed 
in  an  attempt  to  escape,  and  turned  the  other  prison- 
ers loose.  Traveling  in  a  south-easterly  direction, 
we  discovered  a  dozen  Indian  pickets  on  the  afcer- 
noon  of  the  second  day,  and  charged  them.  Some 
of  them  rode  in  all  haste  to  warn  the  village,  while 
the  others  took  shelter  behind  rocks  and  juniper 
bushes,  and  discharge  1  a  shower  of  arrows  at  us  as 
so  in  as  we  came  within  range.  Driving  them  from 
bush  to  bush  anil  rock  to  rock  for  three  miles,  we 
came  in  view  of  the  village,  built  on  a  level  plateau, 
and  alontj  a. semi-circular  ledge  of  rocks,  where  the 
ground  sank  abruptly  to  a  depth  of  about  twenty 
feet.  This  was  in  the  celebrated  lava  beds  made 
famous  by  Captain  Jack  and  his  half  hundred, 
twenty  years  later.  Within  this  crescent-shaped 
ledge  of  rocks  was  what  appeared  to  be  the  smooth 
bed  of  a  stream.  It  was  about  thirty  feet  wide  and 
one  hundred  yards  long,  with  a  slight  incline 
towards  the  face  of  the  ledge,  terminating  near  the 
middle  of  it  where  a  cave  opened  into  the  rocks. 
Here  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  had  taken  shelter, 
carrying  with  them  provisions,  etc.,  and  tying  their 
horses  in  front  of  it  where  they  could  protect  them 
with  their  arrows  while  lying  in  concealment. 
Standing  on  the  bluff  a  hundred  yards  from  the  cave, 
we  could  look  into  it,  and  the  Indians,  who  ha  I  not 
yet  learned  the  superiority  of  the  white  man's  weapon, 
came  out  to  shoot  at  us,  sending  their  arrows  with 
wonderful  force  and  precision,  and  wounding  one  or 
two  of  our  men.  We  killed  several  of  them  before 
they  became  satisfied  that  their  shields  of  baskets 
and  old  tin  pans  would  not  turn  our  bulets.  After 
driving  them  to  shelter,  we  sent  an  occasional  shot 
into  the  cave  to  keep  them  quiet,  while  some  of  our 


men  crept  down  and  cut  their  horses  loose.  One  of 
the  Indians,  larger  than  the  rest,  came  out  of  the 
cave  so  enveloped  in  shields  that  he  looked  like  a 
huge  basket,  ornamented  with  a  tin  pan  stuck  in 
here  and  there  for  variety.  A  well-aimed  shot 
rolled  this  animated  basket  over,  and  the  others 
were  careful  to  keep  out  of  sight.  The  fun  was 
then  all  on  our  sile.  We  were  out  of  provisions 
and  coul  I  not  stay  to  starve  them  out,  nor  could  we 
attack  them  in  the  cave,  and  it  was  suggested  that 
a  smudge  might  bring  them  out.  Approaching  the 
edge  of  the  bluff  above  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  we 
rolled  down  a  heap  of  logs  and  brush  and  set  fire  to 
it.  We  found  it  necessary  to  exercise  great  caution 
in  this  undertaking,  as  the  Indians  watched  us  care- 
fully, and  whenever  a  man  stooped  far  enough  over 
the  ledge  for  them  to  get  sight  of  him,  an  arrow 
came  whizzing  up  from  the  inferno  below.  They 
were  plueky  to  the  last,  an  J  seemed  determined  to 
make  it  as  warm  for  us  as  we  were  making  it 
smoking  hot  for  them.  One  of  our  men  who 
incautiously  exposed  himself  received  a  severe 
wound  from  an  arrow,  and  although  we  succeeded 
in  extracting  the  arrowhead,  it  was  months  before 
he  recovered. 

For  twenty  four  hours  we  kept  a  roaring  fire  at 
the  mouth  of  the  cave,  but  the  Indians  showed  no 
inclination  to  come  out,  in  fact  they  seemed  to 
become  more  fierce  with  each  hour  of  the  terrible 
basting  they  were  receiving  at  our  hands.  The 
weather  was  intensely  cold,  our  provisions  were 
exhausted,  and  Yreka,  the  nearest  point  of  supply, 
was  nearly  a  hundred  miles  away,  and  added  to 
this  it  seemed  that  an  atmosphere  of  smoke  and 
heat  only  served  to  make  Modocs  fat,  so  we  called  a 
council  of  war  and  decided  to  return  home.  We 
gave  them  a  liberal  contribution  of  fuel,  mounted 
our  horses  and  reluctantly  started  homeward,  not 
forgetting  to  take  their  thirty-five  horses  with  us. 
We  bade  farewell  to  the  region  of  volcanic  rock  and 
savages,  and  reached  Yreka  after  a  hard  march, 
tired,  hungry,  and  worn  out  with  cold  and  exposure, 
where  we  disbanded  and  returned  to  our  former 
peaceful  occupations  of  ranching  and  mining. 

Had  our  provisions  hell  out  so  that  we  could 
have  continued  the  smoking  process  another  day, 
we  would  hive  forced  them  from  the  cave.  I 
entered  it  years  afterwards  with  some  of  those  same 
Indians  and  found  it  not  to  be  an  extensive  one, 
that  there  was  no  other  opening  as  we  had  supposed, 
nor  was  there  water  in  it.  They  informed  me  that 
the  attack  had  been  so  sudden  and  unexpected,  that 
they  had  omitted  to  take  water  in  with  them,  and 
that  the  snoke  had  become  almost  unendurable 
when  we  departed.  In  fact,  had  we  remained  a 
few  hours  longer  they  would  have  surrendered.  It 
was  not  our  intention  to  harm  the  women  and  chil- 
dren, and  though  Wright  is  charged  with  ruth- 
lessly murdering  Indians,  the  statement  is  entirely 
incorrect.  I  was  with  him  not  only  in  this  cam- 
paign, but  also  the  next  year,  and  we  always  had 
the  most  positive  orders  from  him  to  refrain  from 
injuring  the  women  and  children,  nor  did  he  ever 
molest  them  when  it  could  possibly  be  avoided. 
Could  those  who  censure  him  see,  as  I  have  seen, 
the  indisputable  evidences  of  their  diabolical  work, 
the  bones  of  men,  women,  and  children  bleaching 


12G 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


among  the  rucks  where  they  met  their  untimely 
fate  at  the  hands  of  these  human  fiends,  the  irons 
from  emigrant  wagons,  burned  after  their  occupants 
had  been  murdered,  scattered  over  those  dreary 
wastes,  thrown  into  ravines  or  hidden  in  the  tules; 
could  they  go,  as  I  have  gone,  into  their  villages, 
and  see  the  tufts  of  human  hair,  torn  from  the 
heads  of  innocent  women  and  children — but  my 
soul  sickens  at  the  remembrance  of  these  horrors. 
No!  Those  who  censure  him  "  know  not  whereof 
they  speak."  He  was  one  of  the  kindest  ami  most 
humane  men  I  ever  knew.  Many  and  wild  were 
the  adventures  of  Wright.  His  parents  were  peace- 
ful Pennsylvania  Quakers,  while  he  was  as  different 
from  those  sober,  sedate  people  as  night  is  from  day. 
He  roamed  over  the  country  hunting  and  trapping, 
shooting  grizzlies  and  Indians,  living,  in  fact,  almost 
the  life  of  the  natives  themselves.  Dressed  in  buck- 
skin, with  his  glossy  black  hair  reaching  almost  to 
his  waist,  his  resemblance  to  an  Indian  when  his 
back  was  turned  was  striking.  At  the  time  we 
were  camped  on  Willow  creek,  our  prisoners  made 
frequent  attempts  to  escape.  One  dark  night  a  dis- 
turbance took  place  among  the  horses,  picketed  a 
short  distance  away,  when  the  male  prisoners, 
thinking  some  of  their  fellows  were  near,  broke 
away  from  the  guard.  Wright  was  the  first  to  dart 
after  them,  and  one  of  the  men  mistaking  him  for 
an  Indian,  seized  his  streaming  hair  with  a  firm 
grasp  and  jerked  him  back  upon  the  ground.  The 
mistake  was  discovered  in  time  to  prevent  any  seri- 
ous consequences,  and  the  prisoners  were  recaptured. 
Wright  was  frequently  joked  about  this  and  advised 
to  cut  his  hair,  lest  he  should  be  killed  sometime  by 
mistake,  but  he  never  could  be  persuaded  to  part 
with  his  flowing  locks.  At  another  time  when  all 
were  asleep  but  those  on  guard,  Wright  stepped  to 
the  fire  to  light  his  pipe,  when  one  of  the  Indians 
rose  up  and  asked  for  the  loan  of  the  implement. 
He  made  no  reply,  but  bent  over  to  secure  a  light, 
when  the  savage  pushed  him  over  and  rushed  off  in 
the  darkness.  Wright  sprang  to  his  feet  and  gave 
pursuit,  while  the  two  others  were  secured  by  the 
guard.  Wright  caught  up  with  the  fugitive,  who 
turned  and  dealt  him  a  blow  with  his  fist,  receiving 
in  return  a  thrust  from  a  knife  that  ended  the  con- 
test at  once.  He  then  returned  to  camp,  dragging 
the  body  after  him,  the  women  commencing  to 
screech  and  howl,  keeping  it  up  the  whole  night. 

It  was  my  good  fortune  on  several  occasions  to  be 
out  on  scouting  expeditions  with  Wright,  and  it 
often  made  my  hair  rise  and  my  heart  leap  into  my 
mouth  to  follow  him  where  it  seemed  that  death 
depended  on  the  rustling  of  a  blade  of  grass  or  the 
drawing  of  a  full  breath.  To  creep  after  him  for 
hours  among  the  tents  cf  savages  who  would  have 
raised  heaven  and  earth  to  clip  the  hair  from  our 
heads,  to  watch  his  serpent-like  movements  as  he 
glided  along,  occasionally  stopping  to  raise  one  finger 
as  a  sign  to  "Keep  still,  I  hear  something,"  was 
about  as  trying  to  the  nerves  as  one  can  well  imag- 
ine. How  he  could  find  and  avoid  every  ravine, 
stick,  or  stone,  and  show  me  how  to  do  so,  while 
we  were  among  the  Indians;  could  sink  down 
and  glide  away  as  noiselessly  as  a  shadow ;  be  out  of 
sight  where  it'  seemed  that  there  was  nothing  to  hide 
us  ?  are  questions  I  cannot  answer.     I  simply  know 


we  did  so.  On  one  occasion  we  went  to  inspect  a 
village  in  order  to  learn  the  number  of  the  enemy. 
It  was  very  dark,  and  we  crept  around  among  the 
tents,  peering  into  them  and  counting  their  occu- 
pants. In  the  center  was  a  tent  much  larger  than 
the  others,  and  from  this  came  sounds  of  shouting 
and  singing.  Wright  wanted  to  know  what  they 
were  doing,  and  we  crept  up  close  to  the  tent  and 
looked  in.  It  was  full  of  Indians  of  all  ages,  some 
talking-  others  shouting  and  sinking,  their  lan^ua^e 
being  unintelligible  to  us.  In  the  middle  of  the 
tent  was  a  bright  fire  that  cast  a  glare  upon  all 
within,  while  we  lay  just  without  in  the  darkness. 
Across  the  tent  near  the  fire  was  stretched  a  string, 
ami  on  this  hung  a  scalp,  which  looked  like  that  of  a 
white  man.  This  they  drew  to  one  side  of  the  tent 
and  then  to  the  other,  while  they  continued  singing. 
Then  one  of  the  warriors  would  rise  up  and  make  a 
speech,  and  when  finished  the  rest  would  applaud 
him,  and  the  singing  and  drawing  of  the  scalp  be 
resumed,  followed  by  another  speech.  We  watched 
them  as  long  as  we  desired,  when  Wright  whispered, 
"  We  had  better  get  out  of  this,"  and  we  lost  no 
time  in  doing  so. 

MASSACRE   AT   BLACKBURN'S    FERRY. 

In  the  spring  of  1851,  to  accommodate  the  travel 
between  Trinida  I  and  the  Salmon  river  mines,  a 
ferry  across  the  Klamath  some  five  miles  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Trinity  was  established  on  the  regular 
road  to  Bestville.  The  proprietors  were  Gwin  R. 
Tompkins  and  Charles  McDermit.  This  ferry  was 
placed  in  charge  of  a  man  named  Blackburn, 
and  was  usually  known  as  Blackburn's  ferry.  The 
proprietors  went  to  southern  Oregon  with  a  party 
on  a  prospecting  trip,  leaving  the  ferry  in  charge  of 
Blackburn  and  his  wife,  to  assist  whom  were  three 

men,  James  Slo.in, Janatshan  and Bender. 

The  manager  and  his  wife  occupied  a  small  shake 
shanty  not  far  from  the  river  bank,  and  the  three 
assistants  slept  in  a  tent  but  a  few  yards  beyond. 
Between  these  were  the  open-air  kitchen  and  dining- 
room. 

One  day  Mrs.  Blackburn,  a  noble  woman  of  the 
brave  pioneer  class  that  have  been  led  by  love  to 
follow  the  footseps  of  their  idol  into  the  very  heart 
of  the  wilderness,  noticed  that  the  stock  of  bullets 
had  become  exhausted.  She  immediately  moulded 
a  large  quantity,  and  by  this  prudent  act  and  her 
afterward  heroic  conduct  saved  the  lives  of  herself 
and  husband  that  self-same  night.  No  trouble  had 
been  experienced  from  the  Indians  for  some  time  by 
the  occupants  of  the  ferry-house,  and  they  retired  to 
rest  that  night  with  little  thought  of  the  bloody 
deed  the  savages  purposed  to  commit.  As  the 
shadows  of  night  blended  into  a  universal  gloom, 
the  Indians  gathered  in  the  forest  about  the  abode 
of  their  intended  victims,  and  waited  until  their  eyes 
were  closed  in  peaceful  slumber  and  the  place  was 
wrapped  in  a  mantle  of  silence.  When  the  night 
had  sufficiently  advanced  to  assure  them  that  their 
victims  were  asleep  and  that  they  would  not  be 
interrupted  in  their  hellish  deed  by  the  appearance 
of  belated  travelers,  they  crept  stealthily  to  the  tent 
where  the  three  men  lay  sleeping,  and  commenced 
the  work  of  death.  Two  of  the  men  were  instantly 
killed,  while  the  third  sprang  to  his  feet  and  rushed 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


127 


from  the  tent  with  a  cry  for  help.  He  had  taken 
but  a  few  steps  when  the  cry  was  hushed  upon  his 
lips,  and  he  fell  to  the  ground  dead  beneath  the 
knives  of  his  pursuers.  The  agonizing  cry  of  the 
wounded  man  awoke  from  their  slumbers  the  occu- 
pants of  the  house,  who  knew  too  well  its  dreadful 
import.  Hastily  barricading  themselves,  they  pre- 
pared for  defense.  Their  arms  consisted  of  two 
rifles  and  a  revolver,  and  with  these  Blackburn  kept 
the  savages  at  bay  throughout  that  long  and  terrible 
night,  his  noble  wife  reloading  the  weapons  as  fast 
as  he  discharge!  them. 

With  the  coming  of  the  morning  there  appeared 
on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river  A.  E.  Raynes, 
AVilliam  Young,  and  William  Little,  who  had  stayed 
that  night  at  a  cabin  a  few  miles  distant,  and  had 
C'ime  at  the  request  of  its  occupants  to  see  if  Black- 
burn had  any  extra  arms,  as  they  feared  an  attack 
by  the  Indians.  Blackburn  made  his  appearance 
from  the  house  and  greeted  them  with  a  ^ad  voice, 
saying,  "I'm  glad  to  see  you,  boys;  they  are  all 
killed  but  myself  and  wife."  When  he  had  ferried 
them  across  the  stream  they  went  to  examine  the  scene 
of  conflict.  They  saw  a  body  lying  about  one  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  house  and  hastened  to  the  spot. 
When  the  body  of  the  dead  man  was  turned  so  that 
they  could  see  his  face,  Blackburn  sprang  back  with 
the  cry,  "  Great  God  !  it  is  my  father,"  and  so  it  was, 
killed  by  heartless  savages  in  sight  of  the  cabin  of 
his  son,  whom  he  had  not  seen  for  ten  years.  The 
old  gentleman  had  accompanied  a  pack-train  from 
Trinidad,  and  when  they  encamped  that  night  some 
ten  miles  from  the  ferry,  he  had  pushed  on  alone, 
and  had  fallen  before  the  knives  of  the  Indians  that 
lav  concealed  in  the  forest,  awaiting  the  time  for 
the  attack  upon  the  cabin. 

The  three  men  volunteered  to  push  through  to 
Trinidad  for  assistance,  to  administer  to  the  Indians 
a  chastisement  they  would  not  soon  forget,  while 
Blackburn  and  his  dauntless  wife  remained  on  guard 
at  the  cabin.  They  lost  the  trail  in  the  darkness 
and  lay  all  night  in  the  redwood  forest,  until  day- 
light enabled  them  to  again  find  the  trail  and  push 
on  for  help.  Arriving  at  Trinidad  the  next  day  they 
were  joined  by  only  ten  men,  and  the  little  party 
of  thirteen  started  back  to  the  ferry  to  attack  at 
least  three  hundred  savages.  A  number  of  miles 
above  Trinidad  lies  a  body  of  water  on  the  low  land 
b  tween  the  mountains  and  the  sea,  known  as  the 
lagoon.  When  the  party  arrived  at  this  point  they 
came  upon  a  number  of  Redwood  Creek  Indians 
in  canoes,  whom  they  decided  to  attack.  They 
therefore  fired  upon  the  canoes,  when  the  savages 
jumped  into  the  water  and  swam  ashore.  A  brisk 
battle  was  maintained  for  some  time,  the  men  using 
their  animals  for  protection.  The  superiority  of 
guns  over  bows  was  soon  demonstrated,  and  the 
Indians  withdrew  with  the  loss  of  two  or  three 
braves. 

Going  further  up  the  trail  the  party  camped  that 
night  near  the  rancheria  of  the  Bald  Hill  Indians, 
which  they  intended  to  attack;  but  the  occupants 
became  aware  of  their  presence  and  intentions,  and 
departed  to  more  peaceful  scenes.  The  next  day 
they  went  to  Durkee's  ferry,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Trinity,  near  wdrich  was  a  largo  rancheria  of  the 
Klamath  River  Indians,  the  same  who  had  made  the 


attack  upon  Blackburn's  place.  When  night  settled 
down  upon  the  mountains,  they  quietly  advanced 
upon  the  foe.  What  was  their  anger  when  they 
found  their  approach  had  been  expected  and  the 
Indians  had  moved  across  the  river.  Durkee  was 
living  with  a  squaw  from  this  rancheria,  and  had 
given  her  friends  timely  warning  of  the  intended 
attack.  When  the  little  band  of  avengers  reached 
the  village  all  had  crossed  but  a  few,  and  upon  these 
few  they  fell,  and  before  they  could  escape  killed 
two  or  three  of  them.  Unable  to  accomplish  any- 
thing, the  party  disbanded  and  went  their  several 
ways. 

News  of  the  attack  upon  the  ferry,  and  massacre 
of  some  of  its  attendants,  reached  McDermit  and 
Tompkins  in  Oregon,  and  with  a  party  of  friends 
they  hastened  to  the  place  to  see  what  could  be  done, 
and  to  punish  the  murderers.  Two  or  three  weeks 
had  passed  before  the  party  arrived  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  ferry,  and  here  McDermit  and  Tompkins,  with 
Abisha  Swain  and  another  man,  went  ahead  of  the 
party  to  see  what  could  be  discovered.  When  they 
neared  the  river  they  saw  two  Indians  in  a  canoe, 
taking  away  plunder  from  the  cabin.  They  fired 
upon  these,  killing  one  and  wounding  the  other,  who 
jumped  into  the  water  and  swam  to  the  opposite 
bank.  The  Indians  had  not  yet  learned  the  exact 
range  of  a  rifle,  and  this  one  stopped  about  three 
hundred  yards  away,  thinking  himself  at  a  safe  dis- 
tance, but  discovered  his  mistake  when  too  late  to 
rectify  it.  He  was  wounded  in  the  arm,  making  a 
bright  red  spot  at  which  Swain  took  careful  aim, 
resting  his  knee  on  the  ground.  When  he  fired 
the  Indian  fell  behind  a  big  rock  against  which  he 
had  been  leaning,  and  the  men  declared  he  had 
dodged  behind  it  for  safety,  as  they  saw  the  bullet 
hit  the  ground  ten  feet  in  front  of  him  and  raise  a 
puff  of  dust.  One  of  the  men  swam  out  to  the 
canoe  and  pitched  the  dead  Indian  into  the  river, 
being  much  chagrined  to  find  it  the  body  of  a  squaw. 
The  men  were  then  taken  across  the  stream  in  the 
canoe,  and  made  a  cautious  advance  upon  the  rock 
behind  which  the  savage  lay.  Their  caution  was 
unnecessary,  for  he  was  dead,  with  a  bullet-hole 
through  his  body  from  side  to  side. 

An  examination  of  the  premises  showed  that  the 
place  had  been  deserted,  the  ferry-rope  cut,  and  gen- 
eral ruin  and  desolation  marked  the  spot.  The 
Indians  had  retreated  to  the  recesses  of  the  mount- 
ains, beyond  the  reach  of  an  avenging  arm,  and 
they  abandoned  the  effort  to  punish  them.  Instead 
they  went  up  the  stream  and  established  the  town 
of  Happy  Camp. 

FIGHT   AT   LOWDEN'S    FERRY. 

The  founders  of  Happy  Camp,  late  in  July.  1851, 
were  Charles  McDermit,  Abisha  Swain,  Gwin  R, 
Tompkins,  Charles  D.  Moore,  Thomas  J.  Roach,  L. 

H.  Murch,  J.  H.  Stinchfield, Cochrane,  Jeremiah 

Martin,  William  Bagley,  Daniel  McDougall,  Jack 
McDougall,  William  McMahon,  and  James  Carr. 
They  built  a  cabin  which  they  used  as  a  store-house, 
and  Cochrane  remained  there  to  look  after  the  prop- 
erty and  mules,  while  the  others  scattered  along  the 
river  mining.  Sundays  all  met  at  the  cabin.  About 
twelve  miles  up  the  river  wasa  rancheria  of  Indians, 
and  they  were  greatly  annoyed   by  the  occupants 


128 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


who  came  down  to  the  cabin.  It  was  feared  they 
would  do  some  damage  if  permitted  too  much 
freedom,  and  they  were  ordered  to  keep  away 
entirely.  These  Indians  had  murdered  two  pros- 
pectors, William  Mosier  and  -  -  McKee  (by  some 
given  as  Reaves),  but  a  short  time  before,  and  the 
miners  were  afraid  to  trust  them.  The  injunction  to 
keep  away  from  the  cabin  was  not  heeded,  and  one 
of  the  Indians  was  shot.  A  short  time  afterwards, 
Captain  Hardy  started  up  the  stream  for  Scott  river, 
and  the  savages  chased  him  back  again.  By  this 
time  there  were  many  miners  in  that  vicinity  besides 
the  founders  of  Happy  Camp,  and  a  party  of  fifteen 
or  twenty  was  made  up  to  fight  these  Indians.  They 
went  up  at  night,  and  just  at  daylight  made  an 
attack  on  the  rancheria,  killing  every  buck  there. 
Two  squaws  were  accidentally  shot.  One  of  the 
attacking  party  was  killed  while  carelessly  crawling 
into  a  wickiup.  This  is  known  as  the  fight  at 
Lowden's  ferry. 

MURDER   OF   CALVIN   WOODMAN. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1852,  wdiile  a  well-known 
miner,  Calvin  Woodman,  was  riding  along  Indian 
creek,  in  Scott  valley,  he  met  two  Indians,  one  of 
whom,  when  they  had  passed,  shot  him  dead.  They 
then  made  their  escape.  It  was  supposed  that  the 
murderers  belonged  to  the  Scott  Valley  tribe,  and 
hostilities  were  commenced  with  them.  Johnson's 
ranch,  now  Meamber's,  was  barricaded  and  men 
scouted  about  the  valley,  firing  upon  the  Indians 
whenever  they  could  find  them.  The  surprise  and 
indignation  of  the  Indians  at  this  treatment  was 
great.  They  were  guiltless  of  the  murder  as  well 
as  of  any  design  upon  the  whites,  and  were  at  a  loss 
to  account  for  these  sudden  hostilities.  They 
became  excited,  and  returned  the  fire  of  their  perse- 
cutors, whenever  possible,  and  in  one  of  these  little 
skirmishes  S.  G.  Whipple,  then  deputy  sheriff  and 
now  Colonel  in  command  at  Fort  Klamath,  was 
seriously  wounded. 

A  company  of  which  Ben.  Jacobs  and  Isaac  Ham- 
ilton were  members  came  over  from  Scott  Bar  to  aid 
their  friends.  Nothing  was  accomplished,  except 
that  some  of  this  company  followed  a  trail  some  dis- 
tance into  the  mountains  between  Scott  and  Shasta 
valleys,  with  the  idea  that  it  was  Scarf'ace's  band 
from  Shasta  valley,  that  had  killed  Woodman.  The 
Scott  Bar  company  soon  after  went  back  to  the 
river. 

While  this  was  going  on,  Judge  Steele,  who  was 
returning  from  below,  arrived  at  the  ranch.  Upon 
learning  the  cause  of  the  difficult}',  he  assured  them 
that  there  must  ba  some  mistake,  and  that  he  would 
go  and  see  about  it.  Upon  visiting  the  camp  he 
was  informed  by  the  chiefs  that  the  murderers  did 
not  belong  to  their  band,  but  were  probablv  Shastas, 
that  is,  Capt;\in  Jim's  band.  Old  Tolo,  Tyee  John 
and  Tyee  Jim  offered  to  accompany  him  to  Yreka 
to  interview  Captain  Jim,  placing  themselves  as 
hostages  in  his  hands.  With  these  hostages  and  a 
small  volunteer  company  he  proceeded  to  Yreka. 
That  town  was  gn-atly  excited,  and  it  was  with 
difficulty  that  the  rough  element  was  restrained 
from  laying  violent  hands  upon  the  hostages.  It  was 
with  great  difficulty  that  the  Shastas  could  be 
induced  to  have  a  talk,  as  they  feared  harm  was 


intended  them,  but  finally  Tolo  convinced  them  of 
their  error,  and  a  conference  was  had  near  the  mouth 
of  Yreka  creek,  which  resulted  in  convincing  all  that 
the  murderers  were  not  of  Jim's  band.  They  said 
that  the  shooting  was  done  by  Rogue  River  Indians, 
and  offered  two  young  Shastas  as  hostages,  to  accom- 
pany a  party  to  that  region,  with  which  they  were 
well  acquainted,  in  search  of  the  guilty  men;  if  any 
treachery  was  discovered  or  it  was  ascertained  that 
they  were  deceiving  in  the  matter,  the  two  hostages 
were  to  be  hanged. 

The  matter  now  began  to  assume  a  different 
a-pect.  The  Court  of  Sessions,  consisting  of  Judge 
William  A.  Robertson  and  Justices  James  Straw- 
bridge  and  William  A  Patterson,  then  organized  but 
a  few  days,  had  authorized  Mr.  Steele  to  raise  a  com- 
pany and  go  after  the  murderers,  not  expecting  so 
much  of  a  journe}'  would  be  necessary.  This 
journey  across  the  mountains  into  a  hostile  country 
did  not  meet  with  much  favor,  and  but  nine  men 
were  found  willing  to  undertake  it ;  they  were  E. 
Steele,  captain;  John  Galvin,  Pete  Snellback,  James 
Bruce  (afterwards  a  colonel  in  the  Oregon  militia), 
Frank  W.  Merritt,  John  McLeod,  Dr.  L  S.  Thompson, 

Harry ,  and  James  White.     These,  with  the 

two  hostages  and  a  Klikitat  Indian  named  Bill, 
formed  a  small  band  of  twelve,  that  set  out  for 
Rogue  river,  well  armed  and  mounted,  the  hostages 
riding  between  Steele  and  one  of  the  men. 

Proceeding  cautiously  over  the  Siskiyou  mount- 
ains they  come  suddenly  upon  an  Indian,  just  south 
of  where  Rufus  Cole  now  lives,  who  had  his  bow  in 
his  hand,  with  an  arrow  fitted  to  the  string  ready 
for  instant  use.  He  was  a  messenger  from  the 
Rogue  River  tribe,  on  his  way  to  enlist  the  Indians 
on  this  side  of  the  mountains  to  aid  their  relatives 
in  the  war  then  being  waged  on  Rogue  river,  a  diffi- 
culty of  which  both  the  whites  and  Indians  on  this 
side  were  ignorant.  So  suddenly  had  they  come 
upon  him  in  the  trail,  that  there  was  no  chance  for 
him  to  escape,  and  he  halted,  defiantly  facing  his 
enemies.  John  Galvin  was  directed  to  disarm  him, 
but  when  he  advanced,  with  a  revolver  in  his  ^and, 
the  Indian  with  lightning  rapidity  wrenched  the 
weapon  from  his  grasp,  and  hastily  firing  a  shot  at 
Steele,  turned  and  fled.  The  bullet  clipped  the 
inane  of  Steele's  horse,  but  did  no  other  damage. 
The  owner  of  that  animal  raised  his  rifle,  drew  a 
hasty  bead  upon  the  flying  savage  and  pulled  the 
trigger,  the  hammer  stopping  at  half  cock.  It  seemed 
a  providential  interference,  for  just  as  the  hammer 
stopped,  the  head  of  one  of  the  party,  who  was 
advancing  rapidly  and  making  frantic  efforts  to  dis- 
charge all  the  barrels  of  an  Allen  "  pepper-box," 
came  in  range  of  the  gun,  and  had  the  weapon  not 
missed  fire,  the  bullet  would  have  found  lo  Ignient 
in  his  bia'n.  The  Klikitat  dismounted  ani  pur- 
sued him  through  the  brush,  until  he  got  near 
enough  to  shoot,  when  he  fired  and  killed  him. 

Resuming  the  journey,  the  party  soon  came  upon 
the  son  of  Tipsu  Tyee,  whom  they  then  captured 
and  disarmed.  This  young  worthy  was  just  return- 
ing from  a  visit  to  the  Indians  farther  west,  to  whom 
he  had  gone  to  induce  them  to  lend  their  aid  in  the 
war.  Arriving  at  Major  Barron's,  they  found  a 
large  number  of  men,  among  whom  were  some  two 
dozen    from  Jacksonville,    who  had  gone  thus  far 


V^Sv 


DUNCAN  CAMERON, 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Glasgow, 
Scotland,  in  1821,  and  is  related  to  Lochiel,  the 
great  chief  of  the  clan,  as  what  Cameron  is  not  ? 
He  believes  that  Scotchmen  in  general,  and  the 
Camerons  in  particular,  are  the  cream  of  the  earth. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  commenced  his  militaiy 
career  by  "seeking  the  bubble  reputation"  in  the 
patriot  war  raging  in  Canada  in  1838.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  was  engaged  in  hunting  the  Semi- 
nole Indians  in  the  swamps  and  hummocks  of  Flor- 
ida. This  pastime  he  found  far  from  agreeable, 
when  the  Indians  undertook  to  hunt  him.  On  the 
twelfth  of  February,  1842,  in  an  engagement  in 
Wahoo  swamp,  he  received  three  bullets.  Pro- 
motion followed  his  gallant  conduct  in  this  engage- 
ment. In  June,  1843,  he  was  discharged  with  an 
invalid  pension.  The  following  winter  found  him 
proceeding  around  Cape  Horn  in  pursuit  of  the 
mighty  leviathan  of  the  deep.  After  following  this 
exciting  sport  in  the  different  oceans,  beach-combing 
in  the  coral  islands  of  the  Pacific,  hobnobbing  with 
Russians  in  Siberia  and  in  the  ticket-of-leave  colo- 
nies of  Australia,  hearing  of  the  gold  discoveries  in 
California,  while  lying  at  the  Island  of  St.  Helena, 
interviewing  the  Welch  in  their  native  hills,  and 
the  English  in  their  crowded  seaports,  experiencing 
many  of  the  vicissitudes  of  a  seafaring  life,  such  as 
burning  and  shipwreck,  he  returned  home  in  1849, 
an  older  if  not  a  wiser  man.  In  the  fall  of  that 
year  he  joined  a  secret  expedition  in  the  city  of 
New  York  and  other  cities,  under  General  Lopez,  to 
wrest  Cuba  from  the  rule  of  Spain,  and  transfer 
that  gem  of  the  Antilles  to  the  United  States ;  but 
through  the  agency  of  traitors  the  expedition  was 
broken  up.  Cameron  once  more  rounded  the  Horn 
to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  shipping  from  there  as  sec- 
ond officer  of  the  brig  Meta,  for  San  Francisco. 
From  there  he  proceeded  to  the  mines,  where  he  fol- 
lowed every  mining  excitement  that  sprang  up  in 


his  vicinity,  all  proving  will-o'-the-wisps  in^  their 
character  to  him.  In  sheer  disgust  he  joined 
Walker's  expedition  to  Lower  California.  After 
eight  months'  service  there,  finding  it  only  a  ruse  to 
hasten  negotiations  for  the  Gadsden  purchase,  he 
abandoned  it  and  returned  to  California  on  foot. 
When  thirty  miles  south  of  Santa  Barbara,  weary 
and  foot-sore,  he  lay  down  under  an  oak  tree  to 
pass  the  night.  In  the  morning  he  was  unable  to 
rise,  and  as  the  road  was  at  too  great  a  distance  for 
his  feeble  call  for  help  to  be  heard  by  passing  travel- 
ers, he  lay  there  two  nights  and  three  days.  He 
was  found  almost  dead  by  the  Hollister  brothers, 
and  was  tenderly  lifted  up  and  placed  in  a. 
wagon,  where  he  was  cared  for  by  the  ladies  of  the 
party.  When  they  arrived  at  Santa  Barbara  they 
gave  him  thirty  dollars  for  clothing  and  a  passage 
on  a  vessel  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  had  funds  to 
his  credit.  In  the  fall  of  1854  he  came  to  Siskiyou, 
and  mined  on  Long  gulch.  Soon  after,  Squire  Evans 
came  to  Yreka  from  Sawyer's  Bar,  to  raise  a  com- 
pany to  punish  the  Klamath  Indians  for  a  massa- 
cre of  thirty-two  people  on  Red  Cap  Bar.  Came- 
ron was  the  only  recruit.  With  a  rifle,  revolver 
and  knife,  he  went  alone  to  Orleans  Bar,  and 
reported  as  the  total  reinforcement  from  Siskiyou. 
He  remained  on  the  Klamath  two  years,  and  then 
went  to  San  Francisco.  In  the  fall  of  1859  Mr. 
Cameron  returned  to  this  county  and  purchased  the 
claim  he  is  now  working  on  McAdams  creek.  In 
1860  his  cabin  and  papers  were  destroyed  by  fire, 
and  later  he  was  nearly  killed  by  the  fall  of  a  bucket 
in  his  mine.  He  now  turned  his  thoughts  to  matri- 
mony and  the  comforts  of  a  home,  and  was  married  in 
1866.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows at  Fort  Jones.  The  Scotch  integrity  of  char- 
acter is  prominent  in  Mr.  Cameron,  and  he  is  dis- 
tinguished among  his  fellows  for  uprightness  and 
scorn  of  shams,  and  believes  that  an  honest  man  is 
not  only  the  noblest  work  of  God,  but  the  rarest. 


50A» 


**^5 


*9- 

-J     £? 


x 
u 
z 
< 


# 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


129 


on  their  way  to  Yreka  to  solicit  aid,  and  were  afraid 
either  to  cross  the  mountains  or  to  return.  Still 
advancing  they  met  Indian  Agent  A.  A.  Skinner, 
who  requested  them  to  camp  for  the  night  on  Big 
Bend,  as  he  had  arranged  a  conference  for  the  mor- 
row. On  the  bend  were  also  ons  hundred  and  fifty 
men  from  Jacksonville,  commanded  by  Captain 
Lamerick. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  enter  into  the  details  of  the 
hostilities  on  Rogue  river,  but  a  battle  was  fought 
and  a  peace  made  with  the  hostiles,  after  which 
Steele's  company  returned  to  Yreka.  The  two  In- 
dians he  had  been  in  search  of,  had  gone  to  Rogue 
river,  but  when  he  arrived,  fled  towards  Klamath 
lake.  When  Steele  had  started  on  his  expedition, 
Ben.  Wright  with  Scarface  and  a  party  of  Indians 
also  went  up  the  Klamath  on  the  same  errand.  The 
excitement  at  Yreka  still  continued,  and  when  Scar- 
face  was  seen  near  that  place,  a  number  of  the  reck- 
less ones  immediately  gave  chase  to  him.  The 
Indian  fled  in  the  direction  of  Edson's,  not  far  from 
which  place  he  was  overtaken  by  his  ruthless  pur- 
surers  and  hanged  to  a  tree.  This  was  done  in  a 
little  gulch  that  has  since  been  known  as  Scarface 
gulch.  This  Indian  is  claimed  to  have  been  a  bad 
and  desperate  character,  his  name  being  bestowed 
upon  him  because  of  scars  on  his  face  from  wounds 
received  in  fights.  It  is,  however,  difficult  to  justify 
his  hanging  at  this  time  and  in  such  a  summary 
manner,  although  it  is  claimed  he  was  endeavoring 
to  incite  the  Shastas  to  participate  in  the  hostilities 
and  commence  a  war  of  extermination  against  the 
whites. 

Ben.  Wright  and  his  party  captured  the  two  fugi- 
tives and  reached  Yreka  with  them  about  the  time 
Steele  returned,  and  they  all  adjourned  to  Scott 
valley  to  administer  justice  according  to  the  miners' 
code.  The  forum  was  at  Lone  Star  ranch,  then  a 
central  point  in  the  valley,  and  the  trial  and  subse- 
quent proceedings  were  participated  in  and  witnessed 
by  crowdsof  men  from  Yreka,  Humbug,  Scott  river, 
and  all  surrounding  points.  A  judge  and  jury  were 
selected  and  the  trial  was  conducted  with  consider- 
able formality.  The  testimony  of  the  accused 
fastened  the  guilt  upon  one  and  exonerated  the  other. 
The  guilty  one  was  the  son  of  a  chief  who  had  been 
killed  vears  before  in  a  fight  with  white  men;. at 
what  time  and  with  what  party,  history  is  silent. 
The  young  brave  cut  his  hair  and  lived  for  revenge. 
When  the  two  were  alone  with  Woodman  he  felt 
that  the  time  had  come,  and  despite  the  expostula- 
tion of  his  companion  he  raised  the  miserable  gun  he 
carried  and  shot  his  victim  dead.  The  innocent 
man  was  released,  while  the  other  was  sentenced  to 
death,  a  sentence  that  was  promptly  executed  in 
presence  of  the  crowd.  The  doomed  man,  whose  close 
cut  hair  attested  the  truth  of  his  story,  was  taken  to  a 
butcher's  scaffold,  mounted  upon  a  dry  goods  box, 
and  his  neck  encircled  by  a  rope.  The  box  was 
then  kicked  from  beneath  him  and  he  swung  dan- 
gling in  the  air,  swaying  to  and  fro  and  whirling 
round  until  he  was  dead. 

Thus  ended  the  troubles,  so  far  as  Siskiyou  county 
was  concerned.  In  this  case  as  in  most  others,  the 
men  who  stepped  boldly  to  the  front  in  the  time  of 
danger,  and  acted  promptly  for  the  good  of  all,  were 
allowed  to  bear  the  expense  as  well  as  to  encounter 
17 


the  danger  and  trouble.  The  Court  of  Sessions,  in 
view  of  the  expenses  that  were  being  piled  up  in 
the  Modoc  war  that  fall,  and  fearing  the  new  county 
of  Siskiyou  would  become  bankrupted  in  the  year 
of  its  birth,  rescinded  the  order  authorizing  Steele 
to  raise  the  company,  and  thus  threw  the  expense  of 
the  expedition  upon  him.  Some  of  the  men  who  had 
engaged  in  the  fight,  appreciating  the  situation, 
declined  all  offers  of  pay,  but  notwithstanding  this, 
Steele  found  himself  just  $2,007  out  of  pocket  by 
the  campaign,  a  loss  that  no  one  felt  called  upon  to 
aid  him  in  bearing-,  and  which  he  was  unable  to  have 
paid  by  the  State,  when,  a  few  years  later,  the 
expenses  incurred  by  the  various  counties  in  their 
Indian  troubles  were  assumed  by  the  State. 

THE  BEN.  WRIGHT  CAMPAIGN. 

Following  upon  the  heels  of  the  Rogue  River  war 
came  the  great  difficulty  with  the  Modoc  tribe,  and 
the  most  serious  Indian  trouble  of  this  region,  until 
the  great  war  with  the  same  tribe  in  1873  handed 
down  the  name  of  Captain  Jack  with  those  of  Osce- 
ola, Tecumseh,  Black  Hawk  and  Sitting-  Bull,  and 
made  the  lava  beds  of  California  live  in  history  with 
the  "  dark  and  bloody  ground  "  of  Kentucky  and  the 
everglades  of  Florida.  To  properly  understand  this 
and  other  Modoc  troubles,  it  is  necessary  to  consider 
a  number  of  people  and  events.  The  Modocs  were 
the  most  hostile,  restless,  and  troublesome  of  all  the 
tribes  in  this  region,  and  their  character  for  cruelty 
and  treachery  must  be  constantly  borne  in  mind. 
We  are  met  at  the  outset  by  a  controversy  about 
the  character  and  services  of  Ben.  Wright,  the 
central  figure  of  this  Modoc  campaign.  That  he 
rendered  good  service  in  protecting  immigrants  in 
the  fall  of  1852,  is  granted  by  all;  but  the  nature 
of  his  dealings  with  the  Indians  before  and  after 
that  time,  and  alleged  acts  of  treacheiy  and  cruelty 
during  the  campaign,  are  matters  of  great  dispute, 
in  regard  to  which  great  care  has  been  taken  to  learn 
the  truth,  that  the  name  of  a  brave  man  may  be 
handed  down  to  posterity  crowned  with  all  the  honor 
justly  its  due,  and  unsullied  by  any  stain  that  malice 
or  ignorance  might  seek  to  fasten  upon  it.  Ben. 
Wright  will  be  treated  justly,  and  his  career  can- 
didly set  before  the  reader,  who  shall  judge  what 
meed  of  praise  or  censure  to  award  him.  His 
parents  were  Quakers,  but  the  peaceful  tenets  of 
that  sect  seem  to  have  taken  but  slight  hold  in  the 
mind  of  their  son.  Young  Wright  was  possessed 
of  a  spirit  of  restless  adventure,  as  brave  and  reek- 
less  a  man  as  ever  lived,  and  spent  his  life  on  the 
frontier,  where  he  fought  Indians  until  he  became 
skilled  in  their  manners  and  method  of  warfare. 
The  spring  of  1851  found  him  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Siskiyou  county,  on  Scott  river,  and  the  same 
summer  on  the  Klamath,  from  whence  he  went  on 
his  first  campaign  against  this  same  tribe  that  year. 
He  lived  the  life  of  a  "  squaw  man,"  and  seemed  to 
take  pride  in  looking  and  acting  as  much  like  an 
Indian  as  possible.  He  had  glossy  black  hair,  which 
he  wore  long,  falling  in  waving  tresses  on  his  shoul- 
ders, and  this  with  his  suit  of  buckskin,  made  his 
resemblance  to  an  Indian  very  striking  when  his 
back  was  turned.  He  also  took  pride  in  acting  like 
an  Indian  in  his  intercourse  with  them,  scalping  the 
fallen,  and    committing  other  barbarities,   such  as 


130 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


cutting  off  the  ears,  noses  and  finger-joints  of  the 
wounded,  before  the  breath  of  life  had  left  their 
1  lodies.  It  is  no  pleasure  to  relate  such  facts  as  these, 
but  they  are  given  in  the  interest  of  truth.  He 
fought  Indians  because  he  loved  the  excitement  of  it. 
It  suited  his  nature.  The  same  cruelties  were  prac- 
ticed by  a  few  others  of  his  company,  who  were 
there  for  the  same  reason,  while  the  balance  abhorred 
such  proceedings,  and  only  remained  in  the  cam- 
paign irom  a  sense  of  duty.  One  little  incident  will 
serve  to  illustrate  his  dealings  with  the  savages,  and 
the  character  of  the  man.  While  scouting  with  a 
small  party  along  the  bank  of  Tule  lake,  during  his 
campaign  in  1852,  Wright  observed  a  well-worn 
trail  leading  from  the  tules  into  the  sage-brush.  He 
demanded  of  a  squaw  who  was  with  them  whither 
the  trail  led.  She  told  him  nowhere,  that  it  was 
made  by  the  Indians  who  came  out  of  the  tules  to 
gather  sage-brush  for  fire-wood.  That  she  was  tell- 
ing the  truth  the  men  believed,  for  they  could  see 
where  the  trail  branched  off  in  all  directions  among 
the  brush,  but  it  pleased  Wright  to  discredit  the 
information.  He  spoke  a  word  to  Swill,  a  renegade 
Umatilla  Indian,  who  instantly  shot  the  squaw  dead. 
She  was  left  where  she  fell,  and  formed  a  meal  for 
a  California  lion  that  night. 

Having  seen  the  character  of  Ben.  Wright,  it  is 
now  in  order  to  inquire  into  the  causes  that  led  to, 
and  events  that  followed,  his  memorable  campaign. 
Early  in  the  summer  of  1852,  John  Onsby  received 
a  letter  at  Yreka,  by  way  of  Sacramento,  from  an 
uncle,  stating  that  he  and  many  others  were  coming 
on  the  old  Oregon  trail  to  Yreka,  and  that  great 
suffering  would  ensue  if  they  were  not  met  by  a 
supply  of  provisions.  This  was  the  first  emigration 
into  Yreka  by  this  route,  and  as  the  character  of 
the  Modoc  Indians  was  well  understood,  it  was 
thought  necessary  to  send  armed  protection  as  well 
as  provisions.  James  Thomas,  now  living  at  Fort 
Jones,  then  an  auctioneer,  took  the  letter  in  his 
hand  and  rode  up  Miner  street,  calling  for  volun- 
teers and  subscriptions.  A  crowd  quickly  collected, 
and  a  meeting  was  held  in  front  of  the  Yreka  House. 
The  situation  was  explained,  and  money  and  volun- 
teers flowed  in  thick  and  fast.  A  company  was 
raised  in  a  few  minutes,  a  large  quantity  of  supplies 
were  contributed,  and  then  the  question  was  asked, 
who  would  take  charge  of  the  expedition  ?  At  this 
juncture  Charles  McDermit,  the  recently-elected 
sheriff,  stepped  forward  and  offered  his  services, 
which  were  gladly  accepted.  As  hastily  as  possible 
preparations  were  completed  and  the  expedition 
started  in  the  direction  of  Lost  river. 

The  first  train  of  emigrants  they  encountered 
before  reaching  the  Modoc  country,  and  they  hast- 
ened on.  After  passing  Tule  lake  they  met  a 
party  of  eight  or  nine  men  who  had  packed  across 
the  plains.  McDermit  and  his  company  went  on  and 
the  packers  continued  towards  Yreka.  When  tliey 
reached  Bloody  Point  they  were  suddenly  attacked  by 
the  Modocs.  All  were  killed  save  one  named  Coffin, 
who  cut  the  pack  from  one  of  his  animals,  charged 
through  the  savages  and  made  his  escape.  Bloody 
Point  is  a  place  on  the  north  bank  of  Tule  lake, 
where  a  spur  of  the  mountains  runs  clown  close  to 
the  lake  shore.  Around  this  the  old  emigrant  road 
passed,  just  beyond  being  a  large  open  flat  covered 


with  tules,  wild  rye  and  grass.  This  was  a  favorite 
place  of  ambuscade. 

When  Coffin  arrived  in  Yreka  with  the  news  of 
the  massacre  the  excitement  and  horror  were  great. 
Ben.  Wright  was  sent  for,  and  a  volunteer  company 
of  twenty-seven  men  was  quickly  organized  and 
bountifully  supplied  with  aims,  horses  and  provis- 
ions by  the  benevolent  citizens  of  Yreka. 

While  this  was  being  done,  the  work  of  death  still 
went  on  in  the  Modoc  country.  At  Black  Rock 
springs  McDermit  had  met  two  trains,  and  had 
detailed  three  of  his  men  to  guard  and  guide  them. 
These    three  men    were   John  Onsby,  Thomas    H. 

Coats  and Long.     About  the  last  of  August, 

the  trains  encamped  on  Clear  lake,  and  in  the 
morning  when  all  was  ready  for  the  start,  the  three 
guides  road  ahead  to  pick  out  a  camping  place  for 
noon.  One  of  the  trains  having  some  repairs  to 
make  on  their  wagons,  remained  behind,  while  the 
other,  consisting  of  thirty  men,  one  woman  and  a 
boy,  with  six  wagons,  took  up  the  line  of  march.  In 
this  train  were  David  M.  Morrison,  the  captain;  W. 
L.  Donnellan,  wife  and  boy;  Joseph  Thompson, 
Lenas  Cook  and  a  brother,  Jonas  Stow,  William 
Stow,  Freeman  Hawthorn,  Washington  Anson, 
Shinn,  Cribb,  McKay,  Martin,  Peter  Rudolph, 
Charles  Herzog,  George  Fiock,  and  others.  Many 
of  these  afterwards  became  well-known  citizens,  while 
some  of  them  still  reside  in  the  county. 

As  the  train  came  over  the  divide  between  Clear 
and  Tule  lakes,  and  saw  the  road  spread  out  before 
them,  they  could  plainly  see  the  Indians  swarming 
in  the  rocks  about  Bloody  Point,  while,  all  uncon- 
scious of  danger,  the  three  men  were  riding  leisurely 
into  the  ambuscade  awaiting  them.  All  efforts  to 
warn  the  victims  were  futile,  and  they  soon  disap- 
peared around  Bloody  Point  and  were  never  seen 
again  alive.  Soon  the  reports  of  their  rifle  shots 
were  born  back  to  the  anxious  ears  of  their  friends, 
who  hastened  on  and  reached  the  fatal  point  of  rocks. 
The  Indians  had  again  concealed  themselves  in  the 
recks  and  tules  to  await  their  new  victims. 

As  the  train  wound  along  the  bank  of  Tule  lake, 
past  Bloody  Point,  the  Indians  on  the  bluff  and  in 
the  tules  set  up  a  demoniacal  yell  and  poured  in  a 
volley  of  arrows,  wounding  two  men.  These  were 
put  into  the  wagons,  and  the  company  was  divided 
into  a  front  and  rear  guard,  and  with  their  rifles, 
of  which  there  were  but  few  in  the  train,  kept  the 
savages  at  a  respectful  distance  until  they  emerged 
upon  the  open  flat,  when  they  made  a  corral  of  their 
wagons  and  retired  within  it  for  protection.  All 
night  they  lay  behind  their  defenses  surrounded  by 
hundreds  of  watchful  foes,  unable  even  to  go  a  few 
hundred  yards  to  the  lake  for  water.  Eternal 
vigilance  was  the  price  of  their  safety,  for  by  con- 
stantly being  on  the  alert  they  kept  the  Indians 
beyond  bow-shot,  as  they  feared  to  place  themselves 
within  range  of  the  deadly  rifles.  Once  the  savages 
set  fire  to  the  tall  grass  and  wild  rye  that  grew  thick 
and  high  about  the  camp,  intending  to  rush  in  under 
cover  of  the  smoke  and  take  the  place  by  storm, 
but  were  frustrated  by  the  building  of  a  counter 
fire  that  burned  out  and  met  the  coming  flames, 
leaving  an  open  space  they  dared  not  cross.  With 
yells  of  rage  and  disappointment  they  retreated  to 
the  rocks  and  tules.      The  morning  light  was  wel- 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


131 


corned  with  joy  by  the  beleaguered  emigrants,  who 
could  then  see  the  movements  of  the  foe.  About 
noon  they  saw  the  savages  again  take  their  station 
among  the  rocks  and  tules  at  Bloody  Point,  and  by 
this  they  knew  that  the  other  train  was  approach- 
ing. With  this  train,  however,  was  an  old  mount- 
ain man  who  had  seen  Indians  before,  and  knew 
better  than  to  walk  into  the  trap  he  could  plainly 
see  was  set  for  him.  Roads  were  nothing  to  him, 
and  when  the  emigrants  in  the  corral  were  listening 
for  the  sound  of  conflict,  lo!  over  the  brow  of  the 
ridge  appeared  the  old  trapper  and  his  train,  and 
entered  the  corral  with  the  others,  leaving  the 
Indians  to  howl  their  rage  and  disappointment. 

As  the  afternoon  wore  on  the  beleaguered  emi- 
grants descried  a  body  of  horsemen  to  the  west- 
ward, riding  down  upun  them  at  a  breakneck  speed. 
Here  was  a  new  enemy,  they  thought,  another  band 
of  savages,  and  they  prepai  ed  to  receive  them  with 
a  storm  of  bullets.  Surely  these  red  and  blue  shirts 
and  broad  slouch  hats  are  not  the  habiliments  of 
savages;  see,  they  have  rifles  in  their  hands  and 
each  man  has  tied  his  handkerchief  to  his  gun  and 
is  waving  it  in  the  air  as  a  token  of  peace  anil 
friendship.  It  is  Ben.  Wright  and  his  band  of  b -ave 
men  rushing  to  their  rescue.  Wright's  company 
knew  nothing  of  the  death  of  Coats,  Long  and 
Onsby,  but  they  grasped  the  situation  at  a  glance, 
and  now,  stopping  not  to  speak  or  draw  breath,  on 
they  rushed,  passed  the  corral  of  terrified  men,  down 
towards  Bloody  Point,  between  the  Indians  on  the 
bluff  and  their  canoes  in  the  water.  Leaping  from 
their  saddles  and  leaving  their  animals  to  run  where 
they  would,  they  made  a  furious  onslaught  upon  the 
surprised  and  terrified  savages.  The  Indians  also 
had  seen  their  approach,  and  from  their  dress  knew 
them  to  be  Cahfornians  who  had  come  to  fight. 
They  might  fool  aiound  a  train  of  emigrants  with 
considerable  impunity,  but  a  company  of  mounted 
Oalifornians  was  entirely  a  different  proposition,  as 
Ben.  Wright  had  taught  them  the  year  before,  and 
when  they  saw  them  ride  for  the  point  to  cut  off" 
retreat  to  the  water,  instead  of  going  to  the  corral 
as  they  had  expected,  the  savages  stampeded  for 
their  canoes. 

Then  commenced  a  slaughter,  a  carnage.  The 
Indians  thought  of  nothing  but  flight  and  rushed 
by  the  score  for  their  canoes,  while  rifle,  pistol  and 
knife  made  havoc  among  them.  The  fugitives  and 
fighters  were  all  mixed  up  together;  for  a  mile  up 
and  down  the  bank  of  the  lake  on  the  edge  of  the 
tules,  did  the  battle  go  on,  each  man  fighting  inde- 
pendently and  being  sometimes  among  a  dozen  flee- 
ing braves,  dealing  death  blows  on  all  sides.  Even 
when  the  terrified  savages  had  reached  their  canoes, 
they  were  fired  upon  and  a  great  many  were  killed 
before  they  could  get  beyond  range. 

The  Indians  only  admitted  a  loss  of  twenty  in 
this  fight,  which  is  about  half  of  the  actual  number 
killed,  besides  many  wounded. 

The  next  day  and  for  several  days  thereafter, 
search  was  made  for  remains  of  the  Modocs'  victims. 
Scattered  about  in  the  tules  they  found  the  mangled 
bodies  of  emigrants,  whose  death  had  not  before 
been  known.  Two  of  these  were  women  and  one  a 
child.  They  were  mutilated  and  disfigured  in  a 
most   horrible    manner,    causing    even    the    strong- 


hearted  men  to  turn  away  from  the  ghastly  spectacle 
with  a  shudder.  In  reading  of  the  massacre  that 
occurred  on  Lost  river  a  few  months  later,  this  hor- 
rible sight  must  be  kept  in  mind.  Here  were  found 
also  portions  of  wagons,  and  the  Indians  were  dis- 
covered to  have  in  their  possession  fire-arms,  cloth- 
ing, camp  utensils,  money  and  a  great  variety  of 
domestic  articles,  showing  that  some  emigrant  train 
had  fallen  a  complete  prey  to  the  fiends.  It  was 
evident  that  a  whole  train  of  emigrants,  how  many 
no  one  could  tell,  had  been  murdered.  Twenty-two 
bodies  were  found  and  buried  by  Wright's  company 
and  fourteen  a  few  days  later  by  a  company  of 
twenty-two  men  that  went  out  from  Jacksonville 
under  Colonel  John  E.  Ross.  Of  these  last  several 
were  women  and  children,  horribly  mutilated  and 
disfigured.  Ross'  company  remained  but  a  few  days 
and  then  returned  to  Jacksonville. 

After  burying  the  bodies  found  in  the  tules, 
Wright's  company  escorted  the  large  trains  that 
had  collected  here  as  far  as  Lost  liver  and  went 
back  on  the  trail  to  Clear  lake,  where  a  camp  was 
established.  At  this  point  scattered  bands  of  emi- 
grants were  collected  into  large  trains  and  sent  on 
through  the  hostile  country  under  escort.  Thus  all 
the  fall  did  these  men  guard  the  emigration  through 

o  o  o 

the  Modoc  country,  occasionally  having  a  little 
encounter  with  the  savages,  until,  near  the  last  of 
October,  the  last  train  had  passed  through  in  safety. 
By  this  time  the  number  of  men  had  been  reduced 
to  eighteen,  Captain  McDermit  having  gone  back  to 
Yreka  with  Judge  Irwin's  train,  as  well  as  most  of 
his  men,  who  had  been  detailed  to  the  various 
trains  till  all  had  thus  returned.  These  eighteen 
decided  to  remain  and  further  punish  the  Indians 
for  their  depredations  and  to  compel  them  to  make 
a  treaty  that  would  insure  safety  to  emigrants 
in  the  future.  Besides  this  the  savages  had  stock, 
property,  ami  money  taken  from  their  slaughtered 
victims  which  it  was  thought  they  could  be  com- 
pelled to  disgorge.  Actuated  by  these  motives, 
they  established  a  camp  on  the  peninsula  and 
opened  an  aggressive  campaign  against  the  savages, 
whose  rancheria  was  upon  an  island  some  distance 
out  in  the  lake.  All  efforts  to  bring  on  an  engage- 
ment with  them  were  futile,  for  they  remained  in 
their  secure  retreat  beyond  the  reach  of  the  whites. 
In  this  way  the  men  exhausted  their  scanty  supply 
of  patience  and  provisions. 

While  here  the  command  was  visited  by  Major 
Fitzgerald  with  a  company  of  dragoons  from  Fort 
Jones,  accompanied  by  Captain  McDermit.  They 
soon  returned,  however,  leaving  a  boat  they  had 
brought  with  them.  Provisions  and  ammunition 
had  bicome  scanty,  and  Wright  sent  four  men  to 
Yreka  for  a  new  supply,  having  just  enough  food  to 
subsist  the  remainder  until  their  return.  Wright's 
camp  was  on  the  peninsula,  while  the  Indian  ranche- 
ria was  on  an  island  some  distance  out  in  the  lake. 
The  water  in  the  lake  was  very  low,  and  there  was 
a  thick  growth  of  tules  between  the  camp  and  the 
island.  Being  unable  to  attack  the  savages  in  their 
secure  retreat  or  to  get  them  to  come  to  dry  land, 
Wright  opened  negotiations  with  them,  to  get  them 
into  his  power  under  cover  of  a  truce.  To  this  end, 
he  dispatched  several  men  in  the  boat  with  old  Mary,  a 
squaw  belonging  to  one  of  the  men,  with  a  message  of 


132 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


peace.  The  next  day  they  went  again  and  returned 
with  two  young  Indians  in  a  canoe.  These  were 
feasted  and  sent  back,  returning  the  next  day  with 
forty  more.  The  men,  only  fifteen  in  all,  had  but 
little  ammunition,  and  would  not  risk  a  fight  then, 
but  carefully  watched  the  savages,  fearing  an  attack 
by  them.  This  continued  four  or  five  days,  and 
completely  exhausted  their  scanty  supply  of  provis- 
ions. Camp  was  then  moved  to  the  mouth  of  Lost 
river,  to  be  nearer  the  expected  supplies,  no  invita- 
tion being  given  the  Indians  to  follow  them.  Here 
they  were  absolutely  without  food  for  six  days, 
save  scraps  dug  up  from  the  sand,  thrown  away  when 
camped  here  before.  The  cause  of  the  delay  was  that 
the  messengers  arrived  in  Yreka  in  November  ami 
stopped  to  help  elect  Franklin  Pierce  President  of 
the  United  States.  This  made  it  necessary  for  them 
to  get  gloriously  drunk,  and  the  fear  of  shocking 
their  systems  caused  them  to  sober  up  gradually,  a 
week  being  consumed  in  the  operation;  then  the 
supplies  which  were  contributed  by  the  citizens  to 
aid  in  the  good  work  of  extermination  were  gathered 
up  slowly,  and  when  they  started  for  the  field  they 
bad  lost  a  week's  time. 

The  hungry  men  in  camp  could  have  killed  an 
animal  for  food,  but  this  they  did  not  want  to  do, 
fearing  to  deprive  themselves  of  their  horses.  On 
the  sixth  day  it  was  decided  that  one  of  the  men, 
who  was  still  strong  enough  to  accomplish  the  feat, 
should  ascend  the  hill  that  overlooked  the  trail  and 
see  if  he  could  spy  the  expected  train.  If  so,  he 
was  to  fire  his  pistol;  if  not,  they  would  kill  one  of 
the  animals  for  food  and  then  start  for  Yreka.  As 
the  man  dragged  his  toilsome  way  up  the  hill,  all 
eyes  were  riveted  upon  him,  and  when  he  reached 
the  top  and  stopped  to  scan  the  distant  horizon,  they 
stood  with  speechless  anxiety,  their  eyes  following 
his  every  motion.  Five,  ten  minutes  he  stood  there, 
seeming  as  many  hours  to  the  watchers  below,  then 
slowly  he  raised  his  arm,  and  a  puff  of  white  smoke 
shot  upward  from  his  hand. 

Then  ensued  a  scene  of  most  frantic  joy.  Men 
hurrahed  and  hugged  each  other.  Weak  and  feeble 
as  they  were  they  started  down  the  trail  to  meet  the 
coming  train.  As  soon  as  the  supplies  reached  the 
camp,  fool  was  prepared  and  eaten  with  avidity  by 
the  famished  men.  Their  stomachs  were  too  weak 
to  retain  it,  and  they  gorged  themselves  again  and 
again.  They  rapidly  recovered  their  strength  and 
spirits,  and  with  a  liberal  supply  of  food  and  ammu- 
nition were  again  ready  for  the  work  they  had  on 
hand. 

Invitation  was  again  sent  to  the  Modocs  to  visit 
this  camp,  and  in  response  a  large  number  of  them 
came  up  and  camped  near  by  on  the  bank  of  the 
river.  The  two  camps  were  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  and  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile  above  the 
natural  bridge,  not  far  from  where  the  fight  between 
C  i|  tain  Jack  and  the  troops  ushered  in  the  mem- 
orable Modoc  war  of  1873. 

Some  half  hundred  braves  with  their  squaws  made 
their  home  in  camp  and  lived  upon  the  provisions 
of  the  whites.  Wright  endeavored  to  prevail  upon 
the  Indians  by  spacious  promises,  to  deliver  up  the 
plunder  they  had  taken  from  the  emigrants,  and 
they  promised  so  to  do  and  to  live  in  peace  in  future. 
They  brought  in  a  few  old  guns  and  pistols,  after 


much  delay,  and  then  said  they  would  give  no  more, 
that  they  were  in  greater  numbers  than  the  whites 
and  would  as  soon  tight  as  not.  Old  Schonchin,  the 
head  chief,  seeing  that  there  was  trouble  brewing 
left  the  camp,  as  did  a  number  of  others.  It  appears 
to  have  been  Wright's  intention  from  the  time  he 
first  opened  negotiations,  to  get  them  to  return  as 
many  of  the  stolen  articles  as  possible,  and  then  to 
bring  on  a  fight  and  kill  all  of  them  he  could. 
From  this  point  of  view  there  is  no  excuse  for  the 
act  which  followed,  not  even  the  fact  that  the  In- 
dians themselves  meditated  treachery  and  were  only 
forestalled  a  few  hours.  The  only  palliation  that  can 
be  found  is  the  utter  horror  and  indignation  felt  by 
all  at  the  fiendish  barbarities  they  had  seen  com- 
mitted by  these  savages,  and  the  known  desire  of 
the  people  of  Yreka,  whose  agents  they  were,  that 
the  heartless  fiends  be  exterminated  from  the  face  of 
the  earth.  On  this  ground  alone  can  their  justifi- 
cation rest. 

To  properly  understand  the  scene  to  be  described, 
a  correct  idea  must  first  be  had  of  the  location  of 
the  camp.  The  river  at  that  time,  the  middle  of 
November',  1852,  was  very  low,  and  had  two  banks, 
one  low  bench  clown  by  the  water's  edge  and 
another  rising  like  a  terrace  back  from  and  above 
it.  On  the  lower  bench  was  the  place  where  the 
whites  cooked  and  ate,  while  they  slept  in  the  camp 
some  twenty  paces  distant  on  the  high  bank.  But 
a  few  yards  down  the  stream,  on  the  low  ground, 
was  the  Indian  camp  It  was  the  custom  of  both 
parties  to  leave  their  arms  in  camp  and  mingle 
together  where  the  cooking  and  eating  were  done. 
One  night  Old  Mary  informed  Wright  that  the 
Modocs  had  planned  a  massacre  of  the  whites  for 
the  following  morning.  When  the  men  were  gath- 
ered as  usuaI  on  the  lower  grouad,  the  savages  were 
to  slip  in  between  them  and  the  calnp  where  their 
guns  were,  and  kill  every  of  one  them.  She  advised 
him  to  take  his  departure  immediately,  but  this 
was  not  his  object,  which  was  to  kill  Indians.  The 
same  squaw  may  have  also  warned  her  friends  that 
she  believed  Wright  intended  treachery;  and  this 
may  have  been  the  reason  for  their  intended  act. 
However  that  may  have  been,  it  began  to  look  to 
Wright  as  though  he  must  hurry  up  or  the  Modocs 
would  get  the  advantage  of  him.  Instead  of  leav- 
ing the  place,  he  matured  a  plan  for  slaying  the 
whole  band.  Six  men  were  sent  across  the  river  at 
the  natural  bridge  and  posted  on  the  bank  just 
opposite  the  Indian  camp,  where  they  lay  all  night 
on  their  arms.  The  rest  of  the  men  were  disposed 
on  the  high  land  back  of  the  camp,  ready  for  duty. 
It  was  agreed  that  Wright  should  go  into  the 
Indian  camp,  and  when  all  was  ready,  shoot  one  of 
the  braves  and  fall  to  the  ground.  At  this  signal 
all  were  to  pour  in  a  deadly  rain  of  bullets  over  his 
head. 

Taking  some  beef  in  his  hand,  Wright  advanced 
into  the  camp,  threw  down  his  load  and  sat  down 
upon  the  ground.  He  noticed  that  the  Indians  were 
drying  their  bows  around  the  fire  and  straightening 
their  arrows,  a  slight  rain  having  damaged  the  weap- 
ons. They  scowled  upon  him  as  he  sat,  in  no  good 
humor  at  being  temporarily  foiled  in  their  design 
by  the  interposition  of  the  elements.  Old  Mary 
came  in  and  sat  down  beside  Wright.     Pointing  out 


JOHN  M.  AND  A.  W.  WOLFORD. 

George  W.Wolford  was  a  native  of  Wheeling, West 
Virginia,  and  in  an  early  day  settled  at  Mount 
Blanchard,  in  Hancock  county,  Ohk),  where  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Lydia  Lake.  By  this  marriage  there 
were  three  sons  and  seven  daughters : — John  M. 
was  born  March  23,  1830 ;  A.  W.,  born  March  26, 
1832;  Silas,  born  April  11,  1834;  May  J.,  born 
March  19,  1837;  Sarah  A.,  born  January  3,  1839 ; 
Martha  A.,  born  October  15,  1840;  Maria  L.,  born 
in  1843 ;  Rachel  Cloe  and  Eliza  (twins),  born  July 
26,  1848;  Catherine  Angeline,  born  May  28,  1852. 
John  M.  and  A.  W.  were  born  in  Hancock  county, 
Ohio.  Of  this  family  four  are  deceased,  May  J., 
Rachel,  Maria,  and  Sarah  A.  The  three  brothers 
reside  at  this  time  in  Scott  valley.  Eliza  is  the  wife 
of  Elias  Smith.  Martha  A.  married  0.  A.  McCon- 
nell,  of  Oregon.  Catherine  married  Charles  Edwards, 
of  Washington  Territory.  Angeline  to  Nathan 
Evans,  of  Etna,  California.  In  1852  they  moved 
from  Ohio  to  Polk  county,  Iowa,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1853  started  across  the  plains,  in  company  with 
A.  Ireland  and  Joseph  Stevenson,  coming  by  way  of 
Humboldt  river  and  Klamath  lake  to  the  Rogue 
River  valley  in  Oregon.  There  was  then  consider- 
able trouble  with  the  Indians,  and  at  Alkali  valley 


MRS.  JOHN  M.   WOLFORD. 


they  joined  Major  Lupton's  company  and  came  to 
Jacksonville,  spent  but  a  short  time  there  and  then 
moved  on  to  the  North  Umpqua.  Not  being  satis- 
fied there,  they  came  to  Cottonwood  and  engaged 
in  mining  until  the  fall  of  1854.  They  then  went 
to  Scott  valley,  and  after  stopping  for  a  short  time  on 
the  place  now  owned  by  John  Smith,  they  moved 
to  their  present  home,  where  they  have  been  en- 
gaged in  farming-  and  blacksmith  ing,  which  trade 
John  M.  learned  in  boyhood.  John  M.  was  married 
May  1,  1877,  to  Miss  Margaret  C.  Jackson,  daughter 
of  John  and  Sarah  Jackson,  of  Cass  county,  Missouri. 
There  are  three  children: — Ida  May,  born  February 
2,1878;  Laura  O,  born  June  8,  1879;  Louisa  I., 
born  January  18,  1881.  A.  W.  was  married  May 
1,  1881,  to  Miss  Helen  M.  Short,  daughter  of  James 
and  Elizabeth  Short,  of  Cottonwood,  Shasta  county, 
California.  They  have  320  acres  of  land  belonging 
to  them  in  common.  For  many  years  they  lived  in 
a  log  house,  but  in  1860  completed  the  one  in  which 
they  now  reside,  a  view  of  which  can  be  seen  in  this 
volume.  There  is  a  family  cemetery  on  the  farm  in 
which  are  buried:  their  father,  who  died  January 
23,  1862;  their  mother,  who  died  May  7,1880; 
Mary  J.,  who  died  November  6,  1866;  Maria,  died 
December  9,  1865;  Rachel,  died  July  9,  1863. 


UJ 

a: 
o 

5* 

S3 

P  5 

u.  in 

*i 

<°. 

U     Ul 

«  cri 

Ld 


< 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


133 


a  young  buck  whose  sister  had  been  given  to  him 
a  few  days  before,  she  said  "That  is  your  brother-in- 
law."  "  I'll  make  a  brother-in-law  of  him,"  exclaimed 
Wright,  as  he  shot  the  young  buck  dead  with  his 
revolver,  and  fell  prone  to  the  ground  to  escape  the 
volley  of  bullets  that  was  poured  into  the  camp. 
Startled  by  this  sudden  onslaught,  the  survivors  of 
this  rain  of  death  attempted  to  escape  across  the 
river,  but  were  driven  back  by  the  six  men  in 
ambush  there.  Seeing  all  avenues  of  escape  closed 
to  them,  the  Modocs  turned  at  bay  and  fought  des- 
perately for  their  lives.  They  rushed  up  the  bank  to 
grapple  with  the  foes  that  were  shooting  them  down. 
Then  ensued  a  terrible  hand-to-hand  struggle,  revol- 
vers on  one  side  against  arrows  and  knives  on  the 
other,  ending  in  a  complete  victor}'  for  the  whites. 
Of  the  forty-nine  braves  that  stool  about  the  camp- 
fire  that  morning  but  two  escaped  to  relate  and 
revenge  the  treachery  that  sealed  in  death  the  lips 
of  the  flower  of  their  tribe.  These  two  were  Curly 
Headed  Doctor  and  John  Schonchin,  who  took  a 
terrible  revenge  twenty  years  later  in  the  murder  of 
the  peace  commissioners.  Mr.  Hallickand  Mr.  Bur- 
gess say  that  John  Schonchin  was  not  there,  but 
the  Indian  himself  during  the  negotiations  in  1873 
claimed  to  have  been  one  of  the  two  survivors  of  that 
bloody  massacre,  and  on  that  based  his  inflexible 
determination  to  be  revenged.  (See  Modoc  war). 
A  few  squaws  were  killed  in  the  fight,  for  flying 
bullets  are  no  respecters  of  persons,  and  a  squaw  is 
but  mortal. 

The  party  that  created  such  sad  havoc  among; 
the  Modocs  was  composed  of  Ben.  Wright,  J.  G. 
Hallick,  William  T.  Kershaw,  David  Helm  (Old  Tex), 
Isaac  Sandbanch  (Buckskin),  George  Rodgers,  Morris 

Rodsjers,  Jacob  Rhodes,  E.  P.  Jenner, Coffin,  J. 

C   Burgess,  William  Chance,  William  White,  a  man 

called    "Rabbit,"     William    Brown, Poland, 

Nigger  Bill,  and  two  Oregon  Indians  named  Benice 
anil  Bob. 

The  casualties  among  Wright's  men  were  three 
wounded,  Sandbanch  severely  in  the  back,  Poland  in 
the  stomach,  -and  Brown  in  the  forehead  and  left 
wrist.  Two  men  were  sent  in  haste  to  Yreka  for  a 
surgeon,  while  the  balance  proceeded  slowly  with 
the  wounded,  expecting  to  meet  the  surgeon  at 
Willow  springs.  It  was  soon  discovered,  however, 
that  Poland  and  Sanbanch  could  not  ride,  and  two 
days  were  lost  in  going  to  the  mountains  for  wood  to 
make  litters  for  them.  The  consequence  was  they 
failed  to  meet  the  surgeon,  R.  B.  Ironside,  at  the 
appointed  time  and  place,  and  his  small  party,  fear- 
ing the  Indians  had  made  a  rally  and  cut  them  off, 
returned  to  Yreka.  A  large  volunteer  company 
was  immediately  organized  to  go  out  to  the  rescue, 
but  they  met  the  slowly-returning  veterans  near 
Sheep  Rock,  bearing  their  wounded  on  litters 
between  two  mules.  The  next  day  they  arrived  in 
Yreka. 

Notice  of  their  cominof  had  been  received  in  the 
town  several  hours  before  they  appeared,  and  a  great 
crowd  was  collected  to  greet  them  home.  It  was  a 
grand  triumphal  march.  The  little  band  of  sixteen, 
escorted  by  the  other  company,  rode  into  town, 
dirty,  shaggy  and  brown  from  their  long  campa'gn, 
Indian  scalps  dangling  from  their  rifles,  hats,  an. I 
the  heads  of   their  horses.      Scores  of  scalps  were 


thus  flaunted  to  show  to  the  admiring  crowd  the 
work  they  had  accomplished  in  the  field.  Cheers 
and  shouts  rent  the  air  as  they  slowly  rode  through 
the  dense  throng,  and  stopped  before  the  stable  of 
Burgess  Bros.,  where  Third  street  now  opens  into 
Miner.  The  enthusiastic  crowd  lifted  them  from 
their  horses  and  bore  them  in  triumph  to  the  only 
place  then  considered  a  place  of  celebration,  the 
saloons,  and  a  grand  scene  of  revelry  commenced. 
Whisky  was  free,  and  all  made  free  with  it,  and  a 
big  dinner  was  given  them  at  the  Yreka  House. 
For  a  week  one  grand  carousal  was  maintained  by 
a  majority  of  the  members  of  Wright's  company 
and  a  host  of  their  particular  admirers,  chiefly  the 
riff-raff  and  scum  of  the  town.  To  the  credit  of 
Hallick,  Burgess,  and  a  few  others,  be  it  said,  they 
severed  connection  with  their  late  companions 
when  they  became  too  violent.  The  revelers  took 
the  town  by  storm;  everything  had  to  give  way  to 
them.  Tliey  exhibited  their  hirsute  trophies, 
flourished  their  weapons,  and  told  what  deeds  of 
valor  they  had  done,  and  what  they  would  do  to 
any  one  who  doubted  the  story.  No  one  durst 
oppose  them,  but  when  they  became  too  violent  and 
demonstrative,  their  weapons  were  coaxed  from  their 
hands,  the  bars  of  the  saloon  being  decorated  with 
them.  One  instance  of  the  high-handed  way  they 
managed  affairs  is  the  following: — 

The  kitchen  of  the  American  Hotel  at  that  time 
was  presided  over  by  a  colored  individual,  who  had 
the  temerity  to  speak  slightingly  of  the  prowess  of 
these  valiant  heroes.  One  evening  there  was  a  great 
outcry  at  the  door  of  Joe  Goodwin's  saloon,  and 
upon  the  crowd  rushing  out  to  ascertain  the  cause, 
they  found  one  of  the  exterminators,  who  accused 
the  negro  of  having  knocked  him  down.  This 
offense,  whether  it  had  been  committed  or  not,  was 
more  than  they  could  bear.  The  next  morning  they 
made  a  raid  upon  the  culinary  department  of  the 
hotel,  captured  the  offending  man  and  bore  him 
away  in  triumph.  He  was  taken  to  a  vacant  lot, 
near  where  Mr.  Huseman  lives,  stretched  over  a  pine 
log,  and  severely  whipped  on  his  bare  back  with  a 
rawhide.  Having  thus  vindicated  their  honor,  and 
demonstrated  the  innate  heroism  of  their  natures, 
they  gave  the  negro,  all  bloody  and  weak  from  the 
terrible  scourging  he  had  received,  notice  to  leave 
town  under  pain  of  death.  Gradually  the  better 
citizens  began  to  exert  their  influence,  and  as  soon 
as  the  rampant  fighters  perceived  that  they  would 
no  longer  be  indulged  in  their  eccentricities,  they 
subsided  into  nothingness,  and  the  campaign  was 
over. 

It  would  have  been  a  more  pleasant  task  to  have 
related  a  different  ending  to  this  campaign,  but  this 
book  deals  in  facts,  and  facts  are  sometimes  stubborn 
things. 

FIGHT   IN    SQUAW   VALLEY. 

In  the  spring  of  1853  a  small  band  of  Squaw 
Valley  Indians,  members  of  the  Pit  River  tribe, 
made  a  raid  into  the  head  of  Shasta  valley  and  stole 
five  horses  from  a  rancher  who  had  settled  there. 

The  owner  of  the  captured  animals  appealad  for 
help,  and  a  company  of  fifteen  men  volunteered  to 
go  after  the  marauders.  It  consisted  of  Dave  Helm 
(Old  Tex),  the  acknowledged  leader,  Zack.  Gibbs, 


134 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


J.  G.  Hallick,  William  White,  Samuel  Frame,  and 
ten  others,  well  armed  and  mounted. 

The  first  night  they  camped  in  Shasta  valley,  near 
Mr.  Caldwell's  present  ranch ;  the  second  night  at 
Soda  Springs.  The  next  day  they  crossed  Squaw 
Valley  mountain,  from  the  top  of  which  they  were 
enabled,  by  the  smoke  of  its  fire,  to  locate  an  Indian 
rancheria  between  where  Hudson. Wells'  milk  ranch 
and  John  Hibbs'  place  now  are.  Waiting  on  the 
mountain  until  the  darkness  of  night  should  cover 
their  movements,  they  proceeded  cautiously  towards 
the  miserable  wickiups  in  which  the  thieves  were 
sleeping,  unconscious  of  the  near  approach  of  an 
enemy.  Arriving  at  the  rancheria,  they  found  it  to 
be  occupied  by  some  half  dozen  bucks  and  the  usual 
complementof  squaws  and  children,  a  small  detached 
band.  The  presence  of  three  of  the  stolen  horses 
attested  the  fact  that  the  thieves  had  been  found, 
and  the  men  dismounted,  left  their  horses  in  charge 
of  one  of  the  company,  and  advanced  stealthily  upon 
the  camp.  Completely  surrounding  it,  they  lay  con- 
cealed until  daylight,  the  better  to  see  their  victims 
when  they  made  the  attack. 

What  a  scene  was  that  the  gray  light  of  early 
morn  disclosed  to  the  watchful  eye  of  nature;  with- 
out, a  circle  of  determined  men,  rifles  in  hand, 
awaiting  with  impatience  the  time  to  commence  the 
work'  of  death  ;  within,  a  few  rude  huts  in  which 
lay  the  intended  victims,  eyes  closed  in  slumber  that 
soon  would  be  closed  forever  in  death.  Who  among 
them  would  be  the  first  to  fall?  It  was  left  to  chance 
to  decide.  As  the  advancing  day  grew  bright  in 
the  east,  and  the  surrounding  objects  lost  gradually 
their  fantastic  appearance,  and  under  the  deepening 
light  resumed  the  rigidity  of  their  outlines,  one  of 
the  slumberers  slowly  opened  his  eyes  and  crawled 
from  his  lodge.  Rising  to  his  feet,  with  a  deep  grunt 
of  satisfaction,  he  drew  in  a  long  breath  of  the 
invigorating  morning  air,  and  stretched  his  sleepy 
limbs.  That  breath  was  his  last.  The  watchful 
eye  of  an  ambushed  foe  was  upon  him,  the  ready 
rifle  was  raised,  the  eager  finger,  grown  impatient 
by  waiting,  pressed  the  trigger,  and  the  first  victim 
lay  dead  upon  the  ground. 

The  whole  camp  was  aroused  and  rushed  from 
their  wickiups  only  to  fall  before  the  sure  rifles  of  the 
encircling  foe.  It  is  a  brief  story.  Five  minutes 
saw  every  occupant  of  that  little  camp  pass  from  a 
quiet  sleep  to  the  endless  slumber  of  death.  Utterly 
destroying  the  rancheria,  the  avengers  returned  home 
with  the  recaptured  stock,  satisfied  that  the  Squaw 
Valley  Indians  would  long  remember  their  visit,  and 
realize  that  they  could  n  it  commit  depredations 
upon  the  whites  with  impunity. 

BIG  BEND  FIGHT. 

Near  George  Fiock's  p'ace  on  Shasta  river,  about 
two  miles  east  of  Yreka,  there  is  a  spring- 
to  which  it  was  the  annual  custom  of  the 
Shastas  of  this  vicinity  to  resort  for  the  purpose  of 
making  "big  medicine,"  to  aid  them  in  fishing  for 
salmon  in  the  adjacent  stream.  In  the  early  fall  of 
1853,  when  the  Rogue  River  war  was  in  progress,  and 
the  whites  of  this  region  were  suspicious  of  all 
Indians,  and  possessed  for  them  a  no  friendly  regard, 
Tyee  Bill  of  the  Shastas,  with  some  of  his  tribe,  came 
to  make  the  annual  fish.     Coming  towards  the  town 


from  the  south,  they  found  J.  G.  Hallick  and  another 
man  herding  stock  where  the  fair  grounds  are,  and 
asked  them  if  there  was  likely  to  be  any  trouble  if 
they  went  to  the  river  to  fish.  They  were  told  that 
there  ought  not  to  be,  but  that  the  people  were  sus- 
picious and  easily  excited  at  just  that  time,  and  if 
they  went  there  they  must  be  very  prudent  and 
careful  in  their  actions. 

The  Indians  passed  on,  going  out  the  gap  near 
Judge  Steele's  place  instead  of  through  the  town. 
When  they  arrived  at  the  river  they  at  once  repaired 
to  the  spring  to  make  "medicine,"  and  here  their 
dancing  and  incantations  were  witnessed  by  George 
Heard,  who  rode  hurriedly  into  town  with  the  start- 
ling intelligence  that  the  Indians  were  having  a  bio- 
war-dance  at  the  spring.  This  created  great  excite- 
ment, and  shot-guns,  rifles  and  revolvers  were 
brought  to  light,  grasped  by  the  eager  hands  of  bold 
defenders,  and  a  steady  stream  of  men  began  to  pour 
out  of  town  towards  the  big  bend  of  the  Shasta, 
where  the  Indians  were  supposed  to  be  preparing 
for  an  attack  upon  the  town. 

No  sooner  did  Tyee  Bill  see  the  stream  of  armed 
men  coming,  than  he  beat  a  retreat  with  his  band, 
but  nut  until  some  of  the  whites  had  come  close 
enough  to  open  fire  on  them.  A  skirmish  fight  was 
maintained  in  the  brush  for  a  little  while,  during 
which  H.  T.  Mil  ett  was  accidentally  shot  by  one  of 
the  whites,  and  then  the  Indians  affected  their 
escape.  Such  was  the  Shasta  river  fight,  and  it  is 
but  justice  to  remark  that  the  Indians  made  no 
attempt  to  retaliate  upon  the  whites  for  this  per- 
fectly unjustifiable  attack. 

THE  CAVE  FIGHT. 

Along  the  Klamath  and  about  Cottonwood  there 
lived  in  the  winter  of  1853-4  a  number  of  squaw- 
men,  among  whom  were  Tom  Ward,  a  gambler,  and 
Bill  Chance,  a  member  of  the  Ben.  Wright  party. 
They  had  squaws  belonging  to  Bill's  band  of 
Shastas,  who  made  for  their  headquarters  a  large 
cave  near  Fall  creek,  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
Klamath,  some  twenty  miles  above  Cottonwood. 
The  squaws  having  left  them  on  account  of  ili-treat- 
ment  they  had  received,  and  gone  to  the  cave  these 
worthy  citizens  went  after  them,  but  were  told  by 
the  savages  to  take  their  departure  immediately. 
They  were  not  yet  at  the  end  of  their  resources. 
Returning  to  Cottonwood  they  reported  that  the 
Indians  at  the  cave  had  in  their  possession  a  lot  of 
stolen  stock,  and  a  company  of  volunteers  was 
organ-zed  to  go  and  recapture  it.  They  went,  and 
in  the  fight  which  ensued  four  of  them  were  killed 
and  several  wounded,  while  the  Indians  drove  them 
back  to  town. 

The  excitement  and  indignation  in  Cottonwood 
was  great.  The  dead  men,  Hiram  Hulen,  John 
Clark,  Wesley  Mayden,  and  Jack  OldHeld  were  all 
good  citizens,  as  well  as  Joseph  Rambaugh  and 
others  of  the  wounded,  and  they  were  unaware  how 
they  had  been  lied  to  and  made  a  catspaw  of  by  the 
squaw-men.  As  they  looked  at  it,  the  Indians  had 
not  only  stolen  stock  but  had  killed  their  friends. 
Word  of  the  difficulty  was  sent  to  Captain  Judah 
at  Fort  Jones,  and  he  came  up  with  a  detachment 
of  troops.  A  company  of  volunteers  was  organized, 
commanded  by  Capt.  R.  C.  Geiger  and  Lieut.  James 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


135 


Lemmon.     Of  these,  E.  C.  Flye,  Alex.  Swift, 

Snodgrass,  and  Charles  A.  Brown  went  to  the  scene 
of  conflict  and  procured  the  bodies  which  had  lain 
in  the  snow  several  days  and  were  frozen.  They 
were  carried  to  Cottonwood  and  all  buried  in  one 
grave,  the  first  to  be  interred  in  the  town  cemetery. 

The  troops  and  volunteers  then  proceeded  to  the 
cave,  the  regulars  going  up  the  south  bank  of  the 
river  while  the  volunteers  went  up  on  the  north  bank 
and  took  up  a  position  to  command  the  entrance 
to  the  cave.  The  Indians  were  below  aud  kept  a 
close  watch  upon  the  besiegers,  shooting  at  them 
whenever  they  exposed  themselves  in  any  way. 
Captain  Geiger  went  to  the  two  men  who  were  sta- 
tioned just  over  the  cave  and  cautioned  them  about 
peeping  over  the  edge.  His  advice  was  good,  but 
he  tailed  to  act  upon  it  himself,  and  a  few  moments 
after,  while  peeping  over  the  rocks  to  make  observa- 
tions, he  fell  back  with  a  bullet  in  his  brain.  This 
was  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  January,  1854.  While 
this  was  going  on  Captain  Smith  arrived  from  Fort 
Lane  with  a  detachment  of  regulars  and  a  mount- 
ain howitzer,  and  being  the  senior  officer,  took  com- 
mand of  the  forces.  He  advanced  up  the  south 
bank  of  the  river  the  next  morning,  took  position 
opposite  the  cave,  and  the  first  intimation  the  volun- 
teers guarding  the  stronghold  had  of  his  intentions 
was  a  shell  from  the  howitzer  that  came  crashing 
through  the  trees  over  their  heads.  They  thought 
it  more  pleasant  to  be  an  Indian  in  the  cave,  than  a 
volunteer  on  the  outside  under  such  circumstances, 
and  they  hastily  retired  to  a  respectful  distance. 
Only  one  shell  of  a  number  that  were  fired  fell  near 
the  mouth  of  the  cave. 

There  was  living  at  that  time  along  the  river  an 
old  trapper,  known  as  Old  Man  Robinson,  who  had 
seen  the  first  difficulty  of  the  squaw  men  with  the 
Indians,  and  now  told  Captain  Smith  the  origin  of 
the  trouble.  It  was  with  difficulty  he  could  make 
the  officer  listen  to  his  story,  but  finally  he  pur- 
suaded  him  to  have  a  talk  with  Tyee  Bill,  and  the 
next  morning  Captain  Smith  went  to  the  cave  with 
one  soldier  and  a  man  named  Eddy,  and  the  Indians 
confirmed  Robinson's  statement.  Then  the  officer 
was  angry.  He  ordered  the  troops  to  return  to 
Fort  Jones  and  Fort  Lane,'  and  took  his  departure, 
vowing  that  the  United  States  army  could  not  be 
used  to  capture  squaws  with.  The  indignation  of 
the  people  of  Cottonwood  at  the  action  of  Captain 
Smith  knew  no  bounds.  They  called  him  a  coward 
and  wrote  letters  to  the  papers  denouncing  him,  but 
to  no  avail. 

Bill's  band  continued  at  the  cave,  but  made  no 
hostile  demonstrations  whatever.  Tipsu  Tyee's  band 
on  Siskiyou  mountain  always  maintained  a  state  of 
hostility  towards  the  whites  and  rendered  the  trail 
from  Yreka  to  Jacksonville  a  dangerous  one  to 
travel.  On  the  twelfth  of  May  a  Shasta  Indian 
named  Joe  assaulted  a  white  woman,  but  was  driven 
away  by  the  approach  of  some  men.  He  fled  to  the 
cave.  Lieut.  J.  C.  Bonnycastle,  then  in  charge  of 
Fort  Jones,  started  to  go  to  the  cave  to  compel  the 
surrender  of  Joe,  and  was  overtaken  on  Willow 
ci'cek  by  Old  Tolo,  who  agreed  to  bring  Joe  there  if 
the  troops  would  halt  till  the  next  day.  That  night 
word  was  brought  to  Bonnycastle  that  Tipsu's  band 
had  attacked  Gage  &  Clymer's  pack-train  on  Siski- 


you mountain,  killed  Daniel  Gage  and  run  off  the 
mules.  The  next  noon,  Tolo  not  appearing,  Bonny- 
castle started  with  his  command  to  the  scene  of  this 
last  outrage.  Upon  arriving  at  the  place  where 
Gage  had  been  killed,  they  discovered  that  six 
Indians  had  participated  in  the  assault.  The  trail 
of  four  of  these  led  towards  the  ca^e,  and  thither 
the  troops  followed.  When  they  reached  that  place 
they  found  the  four  Indians  were  Tipsu,  his  son, 
son-in-law,  and  one  other,  who  had  gone  to  induce 
Bill  to  help  them  fight  the  whites,  and  that  Bill's  band 
had  fallen  upon  them,  and  killed  the  first  three, 
while  the  fourth  had  escaped.  They  also  found  that 
Indian  Joe  had  been  brought  by  Tolo  to  the  Willow 
creek  camp  soon  after  Bonnycastle  had  left.  They 
then  returned  to  Fort  Jones.  It  was  there  found 
that  Joe  had  gone  back  to  the  cave,  and  Bonny- 
castle, A.  M.  Rosborough,  special  Indian  agent, 
and  Elijah  Steele  started  to  the  cave  to  have  a  taik 
and  induce  the  whole  band  to  go  to  Fort  Jones. 

With  them  went  the  old  chief,  Tolo,  always  a  firm 
and  devoted  friend  to  the  whites,  and  two  other 
Indians,  one  of  them  named  Blue  Bag,  who  after- 
wards was  handed  down  to  fame  by  being  hung  near 
Yreka  for  stealing  horses.  A  number  of  soldiers 
who  were  taken  along  were  left  at  Cottonwood. 

Sending  Blue  Bag,  by  a  circuitous  route,  in 
advance,  to  visit  the  cave  and  arrange  for  a  con 
ference  early  the  next  clay,  Bonnycastle,  Rosborough, 
Steele,  Tolo  and  the  other  Indian  set  out  for  Fall 
creek.  Blue  Bag  proceeded  with  so  much  caution, 
knowing  that  he  would  be  shot  on  general  princi- 
ples by  any  white  man  that  might  chance  to  see  him, 
that  he  did  not  execute  his  mission,  but  arrived  at 
the  creek  the  next  night,  after  the  interesting  part 
of  the  affair  was  over.  The  five  men,  on  their  mis- 
sion of  peace,  arrived  at  Fall  creek  early  the  next 
morning,  expecting  to  find  the  Indians  awaiting 
them,  but  found  only  solitude  and  silence.  The 
creek  was  a  deep,  rapid  and  rocky  torrent,  which  it 
was  impossible  for  them  to  cross,  and  they  sat  down 
to  await  the  coming  of  the  savages,  satisfied  that 
Blue  Bag  had.  as  yet,  failed-  to  execute  his  mission, 
if,  indeed,  he  had  not  deserted  them  entirely.  A 
change  soon  came  o'er  the  scene.  Mounted  Indians 
came  whooping  and  yelling  down  to  the  opposite 
bank  of  the  stream,  riding  furiously  up  and  down, 
making  hostile  demonstrations  and  giving  vent  to 
their  feelings  by  demoniacal  yells.  A  parley  ensued, 
the  whites  explaining  the  cause  of  their  visit,  and 
requesting  a  conference.  To  this  the  Indians  acceded, 
inviting  their  guests  to  cross  the  stream,  an  invita- 
tion that  was  promptly  and  persistently  declined,  so 
satisfied  were  they  that  if  they  crossed  they  would 
surely  be  killed.  The  invitation  to  cross  was 
returned  by  the  whites,  with  the  remark  that  it  was 
a  difficult  feat,  and  that  the  Indians  were  the  better 
swimmers.  Matters  did  not  progress  much,  and, 
finally,  the  Indian  that  accompanied  Tolo  jumped 
into  the  stream  to  see  if  be  could  swim  to  the  other 
side.  He  disappeared  like  a  stone  under  the  water, 
and  just  as  all  thought  of  seeing  him  again  was  van- 
ishing from  the  minds  of  the  spectators,  his  head 
appeared  above  the  water  on  the  opposite  side,  a  long 
distance  down  the  stream.  Grasping  an  overhang- 
bush,  he  drew  himself  up,  shook  the  water  from  his 
dripping  locks,  and  advanced  to  greet  his  relatives. 


136 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


The   experiment  was  satisfactory,  and  no  one  else 
cared  to  attempt  the  passage. 

A  new  idea  then  penetrated  the  heads  of  the 
Indians.  They  sent  up  to  their  cave  and  procured 
two  axes.  One  of  these  was  tied  to  a  rope,  and 
drawn  across  by  the  whites,  while  the  other  was 
kept  by  the  owners,  owners  by  right  of  possession, 
as  they  had  been  stolen.  Two  trees  were  found 
growing  on  opposite  banks  of  the  creek,  in  such  a 
manner  that  when  cut  down  they  would  fall 
together  and  bridge  the  stream.  Each  party  cut 
down  one  of  these,  and  the  Hellespont  was  bridged. 
The  amendment  having  been  carried  the  question 
then  recurred  on  the  original  motion,  who  should 
cross?  The  whites  again  pleaded  that  they  were  not 
athletic  and  agile  enough  to  cross  on  such  a  frail  and 
slippery  foothold,  and,  finally  the  natives  swarmed 
across,  squatted  upon  the  ground,  and  the  council 
commenced. 

The  usual  amount  of  bluster  and  big  talk  was 
indulged  in  on  both  sides,  the  whites  telling-  how 
they  could  exterminate  them  if  they  only  half  tried, 
but  that  they  loved  their  red  brothers  and  wanted 
to  live  in  peace  and  harmony  together.  The  Indians 
were  overbearing  and  insolent;  complained  bitterly 
of  the  way  they  had  always  been  treated;  they  had 
been  whipped,  shot  and  hung,  because,  forsooth,  they 
had  stolen  a  few  horses  occasionally;  their  squaws 
had  been  taken  from  them  without  compensation, 
and  disease  had  been  spread  among  them,  until  they 
could  bear  it  no  longer  and  had  determined  upon 
revenge.  To  this  the  whites  replied,  that  bad  men 
were  the  cause  of  the  trouble,  and  that  if  they 
would  make  a  treaty  of  peace  the  Great  Father 
would  give  them  beads  and  blankets,  and  see  that 
they  were  protected  and  cared  for;  but  the  Indians 
were  not  in  a  pacific  mood.  They  began  to  threaten 
and  cast  malignant  glances  at  the  few  bold  men 
who  had  thrust  themselves  into  this  hornet's  nest. 
Guns  were  leveled,  and  the  whites  thought  that  all 
hope  was  gone.  There  was  but  one  way  to  avert 
the  threatened  danger;  it  was  to  "bluff,"  a  word 
every  western  man  is  familiar  with,  and  "bluff" 
they  did.  Hastily  unstrapping  their  revolver  belts, 
they  threw  them  as  far  to  the  rear  as  they  could,  and 
stood  up  unarmed  and  defenseless.  The  chief  sent 
an  Indian  to  gather  them  up  and  return  them  to  the 
owners,  who  immediately  threw  them  away  again. 
Then  baring  their  breasts  they  said,  "Shoot!  Why 
don't  you  shoot  ?  You  know  we  are  unarmed 
and  defenseless;  you  can  kill  us  without  any  dan- 
ger to  yourselves.  We  came  among  you,  trusting 
to  your  honor,  to  hold  a  council;  but  why  don't 
you  kill  us  and  thus  prove  yourselves  to  be  squaws 
and  not  warriors  ?  you  can  kill  us  easy  enough,  but 
our  blood  will  be  avenged  by  the  death  of  the  last 
warrior  in  your  tribe."  By  such  taunts  as  these, 
they  shamed  the  Indians  and  saved  their  lives,  at 
least  for  the  time  being.  Old  Tolo  then  got  up  for 
a  crowning  effort,  and  addressed  his  cousins.  He 
spoke  of  the  power,  bravery,  and  numbers  of  the 
whites,  of  the  futility  of  seeking  to  war  with  them, 
of  the  inevitable  result,  of  the  beauties  of  peace,  of 
the  good  things  the  Great  Chief  would  give  them. 
He  danced  and  capered  and  howled,  beat  upon  his 
breast,  yelled  and  flung  his  arms  about  like  a  Dutch 
windmill.      He    grew    eloquent    as    he    progressed, 


watching  closely  the  visages  of  his  hearers,  to  see 
what  effect  his  words  had  upon  them.  Grim  and 
silent  sat  that  circle  of  warriors,  while  the  old  chief 
was  talking  for  his  life  and  the  lives  of  his  friends. 
Suddenly  an  old  brave  gave  a  long,  deep  grunt. 
Old  Tolo  pricked  up  his  ears  and  redoubled  his 
antics,  pouring  forth  a  stream  of  eloquence  that 
drew  grunts  of  assent  from  one  after  another,  until 
all  had  signified  in  that  way  that  their  opinions 
were  the  same  as  those  of  the  speaker.  He  then  sat 
down  victorious.  The  inevitable  pipe  was  produced 
and  sent  around  the  circle,  each  one  taking  a  few 
whiffs  and  passing  it  on  to  the  next.  It  was  then 
arranged  that  the  Indians  should  go  to  Fort  Jones, 
where  they  would  make  a  treaty  and  receive  pres- 
e  its.  It  was  arranged  that  on  the  third  day  a 
detachment  of  troops  would  be  sent  to  escort  them 
to  the  fort.  The  visitors  then  left,  feeling  that  a- 
burden  had  been  lifted  from  their  hearts  instead  of 
fi'om  the  top  of  their  heads. 

There  lived  at  this  time  a  certain  squaw  man 
well  known  in  this  county,  one  Captain  Goodall,  the 
joy  of  whose  heart  had  been  carried  off  by  her  dis- 
affected countrymen  and  taken  to  the  cave.  He 
bethought  him  of  a  way  to  secure  her  again.  He 
went  to  the  cave  and  represented  that  he  had  been 
sent  to  escort  them  to  the  fort,  and  although  he  had 
no  soldiers  with  him  and  the  stipulated  three  days 
hid  not  yet  elapsed,  the  Indians  were  deceived  by 
his  plausible  words  and  submitted  themselves  to  his 
guidance.  He  very  foolishly  led  them  down  by 
Cottonwood,  where  the  people  were  still  excited  and 
vengeful.  They  were  met  that  day,  the  twenty- 
fourth  of  May,  about  two  hundred  yards  above 
DeWitt's,  now  Bell's,  ferry  by  a  company  of  Cot- 
tonwood volunteers  under  E.  M.  Geiger,  brother  of 
the  one  that  had  been  killed  at  the  cave,  and  at- 
tacked. The  Indians  took  to  the  chaparral  and 
were  driven  back  as  far  as  Cape  Horn.  Chief  Bill 
was  killed  and  several  were  wounded.  Thomas  C. 
McKamey  was  killed  in  the  fight.  That  night  the 
Indians  came  down  the  river  and  fired  across  at  the 
ferry  house,  but  were  driven  away  again  by  the 
Cottonwood  men.  It  was  with  great  difficulty  this 
new  trouble  was  bridged  over,  and  peace  was  fully 
restored. 

MODOC   CAMPAIGN    IN    1854. 

In  the  summer  and  fall  of  1853,  the  governor  of 
Oregon  maintained  a  military  company  under  Cap- 
t  Jn  John  Miller  in  the  Modoc  country,  for  the  pro- 
tection of  emigrants,  but  no  conflict  of  importance 
followed.  In  the  summer  of  1854,  the  same  thing 
was  done  by  the  Oregon  authorities.  As  there 
were  quite  a  number  of  Siskiyou  men  expected  with 
their  families  that  summer,  among  whom  were  D.  D. 
Colton,  Willard  Stone,  and  others,  it  was  decided  to 
raise  a  volunteer  company  to  protect  them  in  the 
Indian  country.  Fifteen  men  were  equipped  for  the 
service,  among   them   being,  J.   G.  Hallick,    Lloyd 

Stone,  Marvin  Stone,  Newton  Ball,   Hughes, 

Samuel  France,  William  Sharp,  John  T.  Moxley, 
and  William  White. 

They  started  about  the  first  of  August,  and  on  the 
fourth  chw  out,  at  the  junction  of  the  Oregon  trail 
with  the  overland  route,  near  the  head  of  Lower 
Klamath  lake,  they  fell  in  with  a  small  body  of  men,. 


W.  H.  SHARP. 


fffP 
MRS.  \V.  Il     -■!!  \i;r. 


WILLIAM  H.  SHARP, 

Now  of  Scott  valley,  was  born  in  the  Mohawk 
valley,  New  York,  September  14,  1825,  and  at  the 
age  of  two  and  one-half  years  his  parents  moved  to 
St.  Lawrence  county,  New  York,  and  settled  in 
Ogdensburg.  William  H.,  was  the  eighth  of  a 
family  of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are  still  liv- 
ing. He  was  the  son  of  Jacob  and  Sarah  (Ranney) 
Sharp,  his  mother  being  a  sister  of  General  Ranney. 
William  grew  up  in  Ogdensburg,  working  at  various 
trades,  being  ready,  as  he  says,  to  do  anything  honor- 
able for  a  livelihood.  In  1846  he  left  the  parental 
roof  and  went  to  Bellevue,  Huron  county,  Ohio,  and 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  In  one  year  he 
married  Miss  Augusta  Bassett,  daughter  of  Doris 
Bassett,  a  native  of  New  York.  In  1849,  hearing  of 
the  rich  gold  discoveries  in  California,  he  was  there- 
by induced  to  dispose  of  his  property,  leave  his 
family  with  friends  and  start  via  the  emigrant  trail 
of  that  day,  for  the  coast,  in  company  with  nine- 
teen others.  They  left  Ohio  in  March  and  arrived 
at  Hangtown  (Placerville)  in  November.  Here  Mr. 
Sharp  mined  four  weeks  with  his  friends,  then  went 
to  Sacramento  and  from  there  to  Mariposa  county. 
While  returning  some  time  after  from  a  mining- 
excursion  to  the  Four  Creek  country,  one  of  the 
party  was  killed  by  a  bear.  After  settling  in  Mari- 
posa again,  Mr.  Sharp  engaged  in  teaming  from 
Stockton.  He  ran  six  teams  of  from  six  to  eight 
animals  each,  and  followed  this  business  till  the  fall 
of  1851,  when  he  opened  a  corral.  In  the  fall  of  '51 
he  sold  the  corral  and  returned  to  the  States  for  his 
wife  and  child,  by  the  water  route.  Remaining  one 
year  in  Ohio  an  i  not  being  content,  he  returned  to 
California  in  1853,  across  the  plains  with  ox-teams. 


Upon  his  arrival  he  stopped  at  Feather  river  and  at 
Stockton,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  one  season. 
Not  being  satisfied  with  the  San  Joaquin  valley,  he 
saddled  a  mule  and  started  in  search  of  a  better. 
Finding  what  he  wanted  in  Siskiyou  county  he 
returned  for  his  family,  and  came  with  them  across 
the  Scott  mountains.  He  experienced  the  hardest 
trip  he  had  ever  made,  and  landed  in  Scott  valley  on 
Christmas  morning  of  1854.  He  brought  with  him 
chickens,  pigs,  and  the  first  turkeys  in  the  valley, 
for  which  last  he  was  offered  as  high  as  fifty  dollars 
per  pair.  He  went  at  once  to  farming  on  the  place 
he  now  owns,  which  at  that  time  he  rented.  In 
1856  he  moved  over  to  the  place  where  Marsac  now 
lives  and  put  in  about  500  acres  of  grain.  Here 
nine  of  his  family  were  sick  at  one  time  with 
typhoid  fever,  and  his  doctor's  bill  was  $1,500,  but 
settled  with  Dr.  Kinney  of  Fort  Jones  for  $700  in 
the  following  year.  He  then  moved  to  the  east  side 
of  the  valley  and  purchased  the  home  where  he  now 
resides.  Mrs.  Sharp  died  in  1877.  There  were  born 
to  them  ten  children,  viz. :  Emily,  Philip,  Frederick, 
Augusta,  Friedell,  Eugene,  Josephine, Frank,  Walter, 
and  William  who  is  deceased.  Mr.  Sharp  comes  of 
a  long-lived  family.  His  mother  is  yet  living  and 
has  numbered  103  years.  His  father  died  in  Ogdens- 
burg, New  York,  in  1830.  Mr.  Sharp's  education 
was  limited  to  what  he  could  learn  at  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  county.  He  is  a  Baptist  in 
religion  and  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Fort  Jones  Lodge,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and  Mrs.  Sharp  is  buried  in  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows cemetery,  with  a  beautiful  monument  above 
her  grave.  Mr.  Sharp  has  always  been  a  hard- 
working, upright  man  and  has  won  the  good-will 
and  esteem  of  a  large  acquaintance. 


iir'i'l-ir-'iiii'.jf  m 


t 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


137 


who  proved  to  be  the  advance  guard  of  a  company 
of  Oregon  volunteers  sent  out  by  the  governor  of 
that  Territory  to  protect  the  large  immigration 
expected  that  year.  The  company  was  commanded 
by  Captain  Jesse  Walker  and  Lieutena.nts  Westfeldt 
and  Miller,  William  Hill  being  the  orderly  sergeant. 
Although  bound  on  the  same  mission,  the  Siski3'ou 
company  did  not  wTait  for  the  main  body  to  come 
up,  as  it  was  encumbered  with  a  large  train  of  sup- 
plies, but  pushed  rapidly  ahead,  eager  to  be  the  first 
to  reach  the  Indian  country  and  have  a  brush  with 
the  savages.  That  night  they  encamped  near  the 
natural  bridge  on  Lost  river. 

The  next  morning  they  crossed  and  moved  down 
the  stream  until  they  came  to  Tule  lake,  when  they 
continued  along  its  shore  to  the  eastward.  On  the  ■ 
edge  of  the  tules  where  the  trail  led  it  was  very 
muddy,  and  the  horses  had  great  difficulty  in  getting 
along.  Finally,  two  pack  animals  mired  com- 
pletely down,  and  the  men  were  engaged  in  unload- 
ing them,  so  as  to  help  them  out,  when  they  were 
saluted  with  a  volley  of  arrows  from  the  tules.  Com- 
pletely surprised  by  this  sudden  attack  from  an  ene- 
my that  they  had  no  idea  was  in  their  vicinity,  they 
were  thrown  into  confusion,  some  of  them  wishing 
to  abandon  the  mired  animals,  and  seek  safety  in 
flight.  A  half  dozen  resolute  ones  were  able  to  get 
the  animals  liberated,  however,  and  all  gathered  on  a 
little  ridge  of  high  ground  to  consult  on  a  plan  of 
operations.  From  this  point  of  view  the  Modoc 
rancheria,  which  had  before  escaped  their  notice,  was 
plainly  visible  some  three  hundred  yards  distant  in 
the  tules.  The  water  was  a  little  over  knee  deep, 
and  the  few  brave  ones  in  the  company  were  con- 
vinced that  they  could  drive  out  the  forty  or  fifty 
hostiles  that  occupied  it,  but  the  balance  of  the  men 
were  afraid  to  attempt  it,  insisting  upon  an  immedi- 
ate return  to  the  Oregon  company  for  aid.  While 
they  were  discussing  the  matter,  Hal  lick  suggested 
to  White  that  he  try  the  range  of  his  new  ritle  upon 
a  knot  of  a  dozen  redskins  that  were  clustered 
in  the  rancheria.  Elevating  the  sights,  White  rested 
his  gun  across  the  back  of  his  horse,  took  careful 
aim  and  tired.  At  the  report  of  the  gun  all  of  the 
Indians  scattered  but  one;  he  sprang  into  the  air 
and  fell  dead  upon  the  ground. 

The  company  then  went  back  to  meet  Captain 
Walker  and  his  men,  falling-  in  with  them  on  Lost 
river.  A  detail  of  forty  men  was  made  to  go  with 
five  of  the  Siskiyou  company  and  attack  the  savages. 
They  went  into  the  marsh  on  foot,  horseback,  and  in  a 
boat,  the  Indians  fleeing  before  them  and  making  no 
resistance.  The  rancheria  was  completely  destroyed, 
and  the  men  returned  to  the  camp  at  the  mouth  of 
Lost  river.  The  two  companies  united  in  their  efforts 
and  established  headquarters  on  Clear  lake.  From 
here  a  dozen  of  the  Oregon  volunteers  and  half  a 
dozen  Siskiyou  men,  under  the  command  of  Lieu- 
tenant Westfeldt,  went  down  the  trail  as  far  as  the 
big  bend  of  the  Humboldt  to  meet  the  coming  immi- 
grants. Here  trains  were  made  up  of  the  scattered 
parties,  and  sent  along  as  rapidly  as  possible,  escorted 
by  four  or  five  of  the  men  as  far  as  headquarters. 
From  there  another  escort  took  them  as  far  as  Lost 
river,  from  which  point  the  route  was  considered 
perfectly  safe. 

When    the    expected    Siskiyou    families   had  all 
18 


passed  through,  the  company  returned  home,  save 
Marvin  Stone,  Newton  Ball  and  J.  G.  Hallick,  who 
enlisted  for  scout  duty  in  Captain  Walker's  command 
and  remained  till  November. 

The  emigrants  had  been  annoyed  this  season  and 
the  year  before  by  the  Pmtes,  who  stole  their  stock, 
and  it  was  decided  to  punish  them.  The  last  train 
that  came  in  had  lost  some  animals,  and  on  the  third 
of  October  Captain  Walker  started  on  a  trail  from 
the  mountains  east  of  Goose  lake  leading  north-east, 
having  sixteen  men.  After  going  eight  miles  he 
came  upon  a  band  of  Indians,  whom  he  pursued 
north  forty  miles.  On  the  second  day  he  came  upon 
them  fortified  on  an  immense  rock,  from  thirty  to  one 
hundred  feet  high,  near  where  Captain  W.  H.  War- 
ner had  been  killed  in  1S49.  This  he  called  War- 
ner's rock.  The  top  could  only  be  approached  on 
one  side,  and  they  made  a  furious  attack  upon  the 
stronghold  from  that  direction;  but  after  having  one 
man,  John  Low,  wounded,  they  abandoned  the  at- 
tempt. They  passed  to  the  north,  crossed  through 
Warner's  pass,  and  tw'o  days  later  attacked  a  ranch- 
eria in  Goose  Lake  valley  and  killed  two  Indians. 
He  then  went  to  the  camp  on  Goose  lake,  and  pre- 
pared for  another  trip  to  Warner's  rock. 

Taking  twenty-five  more  men,  he,  traveling  by 
night,  arrived  in  the  vicinity  of  the  former  battle- 
ground in  the  darkness.  A  careful  reconnoissance 
showed  that  the  savages,  unconscious  of  danger,  had 
come  down  from  the  butte  and  were  living  on  the 
bank  of  a  creek.  To  effect  the  desired  object  the 
command  should  have  been  dismounted  and  the 
camp  entirely  surrounded,  but  instead  of  this  the 
men  advanced  on  horseback,  forming  a  half  circle 
about  the  camp,  on  one  side  of  the  creek  only.  They 
were  particularly  charged  not  to  shoot  until  it  was 
sufficiently  light  to  distinguish  an  Indian  from  a 
white  man.  This  injunction  was  disobeyed,  so  eager 
were  they  all  to  shoot  the  first  Indian.  Silently 
they  waited  for  the  coming  of  clay,  and  just  as  the 
gray  streaks  of  dawn  appeared  in  the  east,  an  old 
brave  arose  from  near  the  fire  and  stood  up.  This 
was  too  much  for  the  patience  of  one  of  the  men. 
He  drew  a  bead  on  the  unsuspecting  brave  and  killed 
him  on  the  spot.  The  whole  camp  started  to  its 
feet  with  cries  and  shouts,  while  from  three  sides  a 
deadly  volley  of  bullets  was  poured  into  the  con- 
fused mass  of  frightened  savages.  The  survivors 
escaped  across  the  creek  and  tied  to  the  hills  or  to 
the  brush  further  up  the  stream,  followed  closely  by 
the  whites,  who  succeeded  in  killing  a  great  many. 

A  most  curious  incident  is  related  by  Mr.  Hallick 
in  connection  with  this  pursuit.  While  several  men 
were  engaged  in  the  chase  they  overtook  a  young 
brave,  and  one  of  them  shot  him  dead.  Just  as  he 
was  pulling  the  trigger,  they  heard  the  brave  shout 
in  good  English,  "For  God's  sake,  don't  shoot  me, 
I'm  a  white  man."  He  spoke  too  late.  They  made 
no  examination  of  him,  simply  noticing  that  he  was 
dark  like  an  Indian.  He  was  dead  and  they  were 
too  excited  and  eager  to  kill  more  to  care  about  the 
matter.  As  English  was  then  unknown  by  the 
Piutes,  they  all  felt  satisfied  that  this  was  a  white 
boy  that  had  been  stolen  by  them  years  before,  prob- 
ably from  some  murdered  emigrants,  and  raised 
among  them,  and  by  exposure  and  living  after  the 


138 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


Indian  style,  had  become  so  tanned  and  brown  that 
he  resembled  one  of  them. 

The  only  white  man  wounded  was  Sergeant  Will- 
iam Hill.  He  and  one  other  were  riding  two  Indian 
ponies  captured  on  the  previous  expedition,  and 
when  the  filing  commenced  charged  into  the  camp. 
He  dismounted  on  the  bank  of  the  creek  and  had  his 
arm  raised  in  the  act  of  loading  his  rifle,  when  the 
same  man  whose  eagerness  to  shoot  had  brought  on 
the  premature  attack  mistook  him  in  the  dim  light 
for  an  Indian  and  fired,  the  ball  passing  through 
Hill's  right  arm  and  cheek.  Had  they  surrounded 
the  camp  and  waited  for  daylight  they  could  have 
effected  their  object,  which  was  the  death  of  every 
brave,  as  it  was  many  of  them  bit  the  dust,  as  well 
as  a  few  squaws  who  happened  in  the  way  of  flying- 
bullets. 

The  rancheria  was  completely  demolished,  and  the 
company  returned  to  Goose  lake  and  from  there  to 
their  homes.  Hallick  brought  from  this  rancheria  a 
Piute  boy,  eight  or  nine  years  of  age,  whom  he 
named  Ned,  and  who  died  a  few  years  later  at 
Edson's  in  Shasta  valley. 

THE  HUMBUG   WAR. 

On  the  twenty-seventh  of  July,  1855,  two  Indians 
under  the  influence  of  liquor  were  riding  along  the 
lower  Humbug,  when  they  were  met  by  a  man 
named  Peterson  who  endeavored  to  ascertain  who 
had  sold  them  the  whisky.  One  of  them  resented 
such  undue  familiarity  by  shooting  him  with  a 
pistol.  As  he  fell,  Peterson  drew  his  revolver  and 
wounded  his  slayer  in  the  abdomen.  The  two  In- 
dians then  dashed  off  towards  the  Klamath  at  full 
speed.  The  deed  had  been  witnessed  by  a  man  who 
stood  near  by,  and  the  news  that  Peterson  had  been 
killed  by  Indian  Bill  soon  spread  along  the  Hum- 
bug and  created  great  excitement.  Two  companies, 
one  from  upper  and  one  from  lower  Humbug, 
started  for  the  Klamath  to  capture  the  murderer  and 
bring  him  back,  for  punishment.  They  came  upon 
the  Indians  the  next  morning  when  they  reached  the 
river,  standing  upon  the  opposite  bank.  They  were 
requested  to  send  over  some  canoes  for  the  men  to 
cro^s  in,  but  declined  exhibiting  a  hostile  spirit.  The 
men  ranged  themselves  along  the  river  with  pre- 
sented rifles,  warning  those  on  the  opposite  bank  that 
if  they  made  any  hostile  demonstration  it  would  be 
followed  by  a  volley  into  their  midst,  while  John 
Alban  (Greasy  John)  swam  across  the  stream  and 
secured  the  canoes.  Going  over  to  the  other  side  in 
these,  the  whites  had  a  talk  which  ended  in  their 
starting  back  to  Humbug  with  three  prisoners, 
Tyee  John  and  two  }roung  Indians. 

While  going  up  the  divide  between  Humbug  and 
Little  Humbug,  the  prisoners  took  off  most  of  their 
garments,  saying  "Toomuchehot,"  when  questioned 
about  it.  Suddenly,  at  a  preconcerted  signal,  they 
plunged  down  the  hill  with  leaps  and  springs  such 
as  a  man  running  down  a  steep  declivity  only  can 
make.  One  of  them  was  seized  and  secured  before 
he  had  taken  six  steps,  but  Tyee  John  and  the  other 
young  buck,  escaped,  followed  first  by  three  or  four 
scattered  shots,  and  afterwards  by  a  volley  of  harm- 
less bullets.  The  remaining  captive  was  conveyed 
to  Humbug,  examined  before  Justice  Josiah  L. 
McGownd,  and  discharged  the  next  day,  being  sent 
back  to  the  Klamath  under  guard. 


It  is  supposed  that  the  Indians  had  meditated  an 
outbreak  for  some  time,  and  were  making  arrange- 
ments for  it,  and  that  these  circu instances  hastened 
the  beginning  of  hostilities.  At  all  events  the  return 
of  Tyee  John  and  his  companion  fugitive  to  camp, 
was  the  signal  for  a  general  massacre.  That  night, 
July  28,  1855,  they  passed  down  the  Klamath,  kill- 
ing all  but  three  of  the  men  on  the  river  between 
Little  Humbug  and  Horse  creeks.  Eleven  men  met 
their  death  in  the  darkness  and  silence  of  night. 
To  the  vigilance  of  a  savage  dog  the  men  v\ho 
escaped  owed  their  lives.  The  victims  were  William 
Hennessey,  Edward  Parrish,  Austin  W.  Gay,  Peter 
Hignight,  John  Pollock,  four  Frenchmen,  and  two 
Mexicans. 

When  the  men  in  charge  of  the  Indian  sent  back 
from  Humbug  arrived  at  the  Klamath  and  learned 
ot  the  work  of  death  that  had  been  done  there  the 
night  before,  they  promptly  shot  their  prisoner, 
threw  his  body  into  the  swift- running  stream,  and 
returned  to  Humbug.  The  same  clay  John  Elliott 
(Long  John)  rushed  into  Cody's  trading-post  at  Hum- 
bug, and  shouted  the  news  that  eleven  men  had  been 
massacred  on  the  Klamath  the  night  before.  Men 
went  out  in  all  directions  to  spread  the  news  and 
warn  miners  to  be  on  their  guard.  While  going  up 
the  creek  on  this  mission  Elliott  met  an  Indian 
returning  from  Yreka,  where  he  had  been  to  get  his 
gun  fixed,  and  captured  him.  Back  to  Cody's  he 
went  with  his  prisoner,  who  was  there  promptly 
shot  and  thrown  into  a  "  coyote  hole,"  a  name  for  a 
shaft  sunk  in  the  ground  in  the  process  of  hill  mining, 
called  "  coyoting." 

News  reached  Yreka  the  same  day,  and  created 
considei'able  excitement.  Two  Shasta  Indians  were 
found  that  afternoon  skulking  in  the  willows  that 
fringed  the  creek  below  Miner  street,  and  were 
immediately  arrested  and  put  in  jail.  The  next 
morning  they  were  released,  but  were  instantly 
pounced  upon  by  the  citizens  and  again  taken  into 
custody.  They  were  very  insolent,  and  as  they 
were  being  conducted  up  the  street  it  was  decided  to 
hang  them.  A  call  was  made  for  a  rope,  which  was 
instantly  forthcoming,  the  sight  of  which  served  to 
depress  the  hitherto  insolent  savages.  No  one  cared 
enough  about  the  life  of  an  Indian  to  object  or 
resist  the  mob,  and  they  executed  their  purpose 
unopposed.  In  the  street  opposite  H.  B.  Warren's 
residence  there  stood  three  pine  trees,  and  to  one  of 
these  the  two  men  were  taken,  the  rope  thrown  over 
a  limb  of  one  of  them,  and  the  victims  were  drawn 
up  by  the  neck  to  hang  strangling  in  the  air.  Not 
content  with  this,  some  of  the  rough  characters 
that  always  abound  and  generally  predominate  in  a 
mob,  stretched  themselves  out  on  the  limb  and, 
seizing  hold  upon  the  rope,  raised  and  lowered  the 
dangling  and  strangling  wretches  several  times. 
The  whole  affair  was  an  exhibition  of  the  most 
unjustifiable  and  heartless  cruelty,  an  act  the  par- 
ahel  to  which  had  never  been  committed  upon  the 
whites  by  any  of  the  tribe  to  which  these  men 
belonged.  Many,  whose  excitement  and  anger  at 
the  recent  murders  had  led  them  to  assent  to  the 
hanging  of  these  two  men,  withdrew  in  disgust 
before  the  barbarous  act  was  accomplished. 

The  next  move  by  the  mob,  then  some  two  hun- 
dred  strong,  was   to  make  a  raid  upon   the  negro 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


139 


quarters,  to  see  if  they  could  not  find  more  Indians 
and  to  sate  their  appetite  for  blood  upon  the  negroes, 
whom  they  accused  of  selling  whisky  and  ammu- 
nition to  the  savages.  Here  they  exhibited  the  usual 
cowardice  and  shame  of  a  mob  when  faced  by  a 
determined  man.  They  were  about  to  break  into  a 
house  occupied  by  negroes  and  owned  by  George 
W.  Tyler.  The  owner  jumped  upon  a  cart  that 
stood  before  the  door,  drew  his  revolver  and  swore 
that  the  first  man  who  touched  the  door  of  that 
house,  or  disturbed  his  tenants,  should  die,  if  it  was 
the  last  act.  of  his  life.  They  knew  him  ;  they  saw 
the  fire  in  his  eye  and  the  resolute  firmness  of  his 
mouth  ;  they  saw  the  revolver  with  its  six  cham- 
bers of  death;  and  they  hesitated,  fell  back  and  dis- 
persed. A  like  resolute  action  by  a  few  brave  men 
might  have  saved  the  wretches  hanging  to  the  pine 
limbs  beyond,  but  who  would  risk  his  life  for  a 
worthless  Indian  ?  Let  them  hang,  they  are  only 
Indians. 

The  same  day  of  this  occurrence,  C.  H.  P3'le  went 
over  to  Deadwood  with  intelligence  of  the  Indian 
difficulty,  and  with  several  men  went  along  McAdams, 
Deadwood  and  Cherry  creeks  warning  the  miners 
"  to  fiee  from  the  wrath  to  come."  They  all  congie- 
gated  in  Deadwood,  and  while  there  bethought  them 
of  a  solitary  Indian,  working  a  distance  up  the 
creek  with  some  Kanakas.  They  did  not  know 
what  tribe  or  band  he  belonged  to,  or  whether  he 
knew  anything  about  the  murders  or  not.  All  they 
knew  was  that  he  was  an  Indian,  a  misfortune  that 
was  fatal  to  him.  Of  course  it  was  not  his  fault; 
he  was  born  so  ;  but  that  was  no  palliation  for  the 
crime  of  being  an  Indian.  He  was  speedily  cap- 
tured and  brought  to  town,  where  an  animated  dis- 
cussion was  going  on,  as  to  the  best  disposition  to 
make  of  him.  All  admitted  that  nothing  was  known 
against  him,  except  that  he  was  an  Indian,  but 
that,  alone,  was  a  serious  matter.  Some  were  in 
favor  of  hanging  him  on  the  spot,  while  others,  who 
wanted  to  get  rid  of  him,  but  did  not  like  to  take 
the  responsibility  of  aiding  him  to  "  shuffle  off," 
opposed  such  action.  It  was  at  last  decided  to 
send  him  to  Yreka,  where  it  was  well  known  his 
span  of  life  would  be  abreviated  in  short  order.  They 
would  not  kill  him  themselves,  but  they  would  con- 
sign him  to  the  tender  mercies  of  a  crowd  that  was 
only  too  eager  to  do  so. 

A  committee  was  selected  to  escort  the  inoffensive 
native  to  Yreka.  A  long  rope  was  procured,  the 
middle  to  which  was  secured  tightly  about  the 
prisoner's  waist,  while  two  men  marched  a  distance 
in  front,  grasping  one  end  of  the  rope,  and  two 
brought  up  the  rear  Avith  the  other.  The  procession 
having  thus  been  formed  it  moved  out  of  town  mid 
the  shouts  of  the  jubilant  crowd.  They  had  pro- 
ceeded only  as  far  as  Lime  gulch,  about  a  mile  above 
the  town,  where  stood  a  small  log  cabin,  when 
smoke  was  seen  to  issue  from  the  rude  structure, 
the  report  of  a  rifle  was  heard,  and  the  Indian  leaped 
into  the  air,  wounded.  He  gave  a  bound  forward, 
jerking  the  rope  from  the  hands  of  the  men  behind, 
rushed  upon  those  in  front  and  snatched  a  revolver 
from  the  belt  of  one  of  them,  before  the  astonished 
men  could  realize  what  was  taking  place.  They  soon 
understood  it  and  acted  promptly,  closing  in  upon 
the   savage    before  lie  could   use  the  weapon  and 


knocked  him  into  a  prospect  shaft,  where  they  dis- 
patched him  with  their  revolvers.  Having  thus  dis- 
posed of  their  charge,  they  left  him  in  his  unexpected 
grave,  and  returned  to  town.  No  unpleasant  ques- 
tions were  ever  asked  about  who  fired  the  shot  from 
his  ambush  in  the  cabin,  but  it  was  supposed  to  have 
been  a  well-known  citizen,  whose  brother  had  been 
killed  by  Indians,  and  who  had  vowed  to  have 
revenge. 

Two  days  after  the  massacre,  some  thirty  or  forty 
roughs  from  Humbug  City,  having  imbibed  a 
copious  quantity  of  "tanglefoot"  started  down  the 
creek  to  a  rancheria  that  stood  some  half  mile  below 
its  mouth.  At  the  house  of  a  man  named  Crockett, 
on  Rocky  Bar,  two  miles  up  the  creek  from  the 
river,  they  found  an  old  Indian  named  Smoothy 
and  two  boys.  The}'  captured  these  and  took  them 
to  the  river.  The  two  boys  were  tied  together  and 
shot,  when  old  Smoothy,  seeing  the  fate  in  store  for 
him,  made  a  break  for  liberty.  Several  shots  were 
fired  at  him,  some  of  which  took  effect,  and  he  was 
so  closely  pursued  by  one  man  that  he  dodged  behind 
a  bush,  came  out  on  the  other  side  and  made  a  lunge 
at  his  pursuer  with  an  old  case  knife  that  had  been 
ground  to  a  point,  cutting  the  man's  shirt  but  inflict- 
ing no  other  damage.  He  was  then  shot,  and  a 
number  of  the  braver  ones  of  the  party  advanced  to 
where  their  dead  victim  lay  and  boldly  shot  into  his 
lifeless  body  until  it  was  riddled  with  bullet  holes. 
From  this  place  they  went  to  the  rancheria,  where 
they  found  an  old  buck  and  a  squaw,  both  of  whom 
were  killed,  the  buck,  old  Sam,  being  led  out  with 
a  lope,  and  his  head  blown  off  by  some  one  who 
came  up  behind  him  with  a  shot-gun.  Some  half 
dozen  squaws,  old  and  young,  escaped  across  the 
river  into  the  mountains,  where  they  were  soon 
afterwards  captured,  as  were  also  two  white  men, 
Ewing  and  Owens.  They  were  all  taken  to  Hum- 
bug City  and  examined  before  the  justice  of  the  peace, 
the  two  men  were  discharged  and  the  squaws  sent 
to  Fort  Jones. 

There  was  never  any  evidence  discovered  that  at 
all  implicated  these  Indians,  who  were  of  another 
band,  in  the  murders  on  the  Klamath,  nor  was  it 
ever  supposed  that  they  even  knew  that  any  mas- 
sacre was  intended.  Their  fault  was  that  God  had 
made  them  Indians  and  located  them  near  the  scene 
of  difficulty. 

When  the  news  of  the  massacre  on  the  Klamath 
reached  Scott  river  the  excitement  was  intense. 
Some  of  the  murdered  men  had  many  friends  on 
the  river  and  a  volunteer  company  was  raised  to 
aid  the  Humbug  miners  in  punishing  the  murderers. 
There  were  two  Indians  working  in  a  claim,  both 
peaceable,  well-disposed  natives,  especially  Rising 
Sun,  whom  every  one  believed  to  have  been  a  good 
friend  to  the  whites,  and  had  nothing  to  do  with 
killing  the  miners.  Although  discountenanced  by 
the  better  class,  the  roughs  and  gamblers  arrested 
Rising  Sun  and  his  companion,  Bill,  and  locked 
them  up  in  a  cabin  on  the  lower  end  of  Scott  Bar. 
When  night  came  on,  they  decided  to  kill  the  inof- 
fensive savages.  They  took  the  prisoners  out  of 
the  cabin,  and  a  large  crowd  surrounded  them,  to 
see  Ferd.  Patterson,  a  noted  rough,  play  the  part  of 
executioner.  Patterson  took  a  firm  hold  in  Bill's 
hair  with  his  left  hand,  pressed  his  head  back,  and 


140 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


with  his  pistol  placed  against  his  breast  shot  him 
through  the  htart.  Rising  Sun  stood  with  his 
blanket  folded  about  hiin  and  calmly  witnessed  the 
death  of  his  companion,  but  when  Patterson 
advanced  to  do  the  same  office  for  him,  he  suddenly 
threw  off  the  blanket  and  brandished  in  his  hand  a 
huge  knife  that  some  one  had  given  him  to  defend 
himself  with.  The  crowd  fell  back  like  sheep,  and 
the  Indian  sprang  through  them  and  was  half  way 
across  the  river  on  the  foot-log,  before  they  fully 
realized  the  situation.  As  soon  as  he  reached  the 
other  side,  Rising  Sun  dropped  into  the  water, 
swam  under  the  foot-log,  and  lay  quietly  there  with 
just  his  nose  and  mouth  above  water,  invisible  in 
the  darkness.  The  pursuers  came  rushing  across, 
passing  but  a  few  inches  above  his  head,  and  had  no 
idea  but  that  he  had  continued  his  flight  up  the 
mountain  or  up  or  down  the  river.  Every  object 
that  their  imagination  could  torture  into  a  sem- 
blance to  the  fugitive  was  fired  at,  and  for  some 
minutes  the  hills  echoed  to  their  rifle  shots.  Some 
even  asserted  that  he  had  swum  down  a  large 
flume  towards  the  mouth  of  the  river,  diving  under 
the  large  wheels  that  the  current  turned  as  it  ran. 
The  chase  was  abandoned,  each  one  having  his  own 
theory  of  how  the  Indian  had  escaped,  and  Rising 
Sun  lay  quietly  listening  until  all  was  still,  when  he 
came  out  of  the  water  and  took  his  departure. 
Nothing  was  heard  of  him  for  several  years,  and 
then  he  came  back  and  told  hew  he  lay  within  a 
few  inches  of  where  their  feet  rested  as  they  crossed 
the  river  and  laughed  to  hear  them  shoot  at  the 
stumps  and  shadows  on  the  mountain.  He  went 
the  way  of  all  Indians  last  year. 

Preparations  for  a  campaign  against  the  Indians 
were  rapidly  made,  and  about  the  first  of  August 
five  companies  of  volunteers  started  for  the  north 
side  of  the  Klamath.  One  of  these  was  sixty  strong, 
from  Scott  river,  commanded  by  Capt.  John  X. 
Hale;  the  other  three  were  from  Humbug  and 
Klamath  river,  Captain  Lynch  with  thirty-two 
men,  Capt.  William  Martin  with  sixty  men,  Capt. 
T.  M.  Kelly  with  a  small  company,  and  Capt. 
Daniel  Ream  with  seventeen  men.  This  last  com- 
pany was  mounted  while  the  others  were  on  foot. 

As  they  approached,  the  Indians  fled  towards 
Oregon,  the  volunteers  following  on  their  trail, 
pushing  them  so  close  near  the  head  of  Horse  creek 
that  they  captured  half  a  dozen  of  their  animals. 
The  Indians  were  carryings  along  with  them  the 
buck  wdiom  Peterson  had  wounded,  and  wdiom  the 
first  party  that  captured  Tyee  John  had  not  thought 
necessary  to  take,  as  he  appeared  to  have  his  death- 
wound.  _  The  trail  led  over  the  summit  of  Siskiyou 
mountain  and  down  Applegate  creek,  towards  the 
reservation  at  Fort  Lane.  Camping  on  Sterling 
creek,  the  five  companies  held  a  meeting  and  "  reso- 
luted  "  like  true  American  citizens,  with  the  follow- 
ing result: — 

Sterling,  Oregon,  August  5th,  1S55. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  Volunteer  Companies  of  Siskiyou  County 
and  State  of  California,  who  have  been  organized  for  the  purpose 
of  apprehending  and  punishing  certain  Indians  who  have  com- 
mitted depredations  in  our  country,  E.  S.  Mowry,  Esq.,  was 
elected  Chairman,  Dr.  D.  Ream,  Secretary,  and  the  following 
resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted. 
RESOLVED. 

Whereas,  certain  Indians,  composed  of  the  Klamath,  Horse 
Creek  and  a  portion  of  the  Rogue  Jiiver  Tribe,  on  or  about  the 


27th  and  28th  of  July,  A.  D.  1S55,  came  upon  the  Klamath 
river  and  there  ruthlessly  and  without  provocation  murdered 
eleven  or  more  of  our  fellow-citizens  and  friends;  a  portion  of 
whom  we  know  to  have  escape^  into  the  reservation  of  the  Indi- 
ans near  Fort  Lane,  Rogue  River  Valley,  Oregon  Territory,  from 
the  fact  of  having  tracked  them  into  said  valley  and  from  the  tes- 
timony of  certain  responsible  and  reliable  witnesses  : 

It  is  therefore  resolved  that  a  committee  of  five  men,  one  from 
each  c  mpany  now  present  be  chosen  to  present  these  resolutions 
to  Capt.  Smith.  U.  S.  A.,  Commandant  of  Fort  Lane,  and  Mr. 
Palmer,  the  Indian  Agent  of  Oregon  Territory. 

We  would  respectfully  request  Capt.  Smith,  U.  S.  A.,  and 
Mr.  Palmer,  the  Indian  Agent,  that  they  would,  if  in  their  power, 
deliver  up  to  us  the  fugitive  Indians  who  have  fled  to  the  reser- 
vation, in  three  days  from  this  date,  and  if  at  the  end  of  this 
time  they  are  not  delivered  to  us,  together  with  all  the  stock  and 
property,  then  we  would  most  respectfully  beg  of  Capt.  Smith, 
LT.  S.  A.,  and  the  Indian  Agent,  free  permission  to  go  andappre- 
hend  the  fugitive  Indians  and  take  the  property  wherever  it 
can  be  found. 

Resolved — That  if  at  the  expiration  of  three  days  the  Indians 
and  property  are  not  delivered  to  us,  and  the  permission  to 
seek  for  them  is  not  gramed,  then  we  will,  on  our  own  responsi- 
bility, go  and  take  them  wherever  they  can  be  found  at  all  and 
every  hazard. 

Resolved — That  the  following-named  gentlemen  compose  the 
Committee:  E.  S.  Mowry, 

J.  X.  Hale, 
A.  D.  Lake, 
Wm.  Parish, 

E.  S.  Mowrt,  Chairman.  A.  Hawkins, 

Dr.  D.  Ream,  Secretary.  Committee. 

The  delegated  gentlemen  went  to  the  fort  and 
found  that  some  of  the  stock  stolen  by  the  Indians 
was  there,  and  that  two  Rogue  River  Indians  who 
hail  taken  part  in  the  massacre  were  then  in  the 
guard  house.  The  committee  waited  upon  the  cap- 
tain in  command,  afterwards  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith, 
presented  their  credentials,  and  demanded  the  surren- 
der of  the  stock  and  criminals.  The  captain  said 
that  the  animals  would  be  delivered  up  upon  proof 
of  ownership,  but  that  the  Indians  would  not  be 
surrendered.  The  farmers  in  Rogue  River  valley 
were  then  getting  in  their  crops,  and  he  feared  an 
outbreak,  if  he  surrendered  the  Indians,  that  would 
result  in  the  death  of  many  settlers  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  much  property.  Lieutenant  Mowry  then 
told  him  that  they  came  after  the  Indians  and  pro- 
posed to  have  them,  and  if  they  were  not  given  up 
they  would  be  taken  by  force.  This  was  too  much 
for  Captain  Smith  to  stand;  such  language  and 
threats  from  a  citizen  to  an  officer  in  the  regular 
army,  were  not  to  be  endured.  He  stormed  and 
stamped  about,  said  he  knew  his  business,  and  would 
submit  to  dictation  'from  no  one;  that  when  the 
proper  time  came  the  prisoners  would  be  delivered 
up  to  the  proper  authorities.  The  committee  left, 
assuring  Captain  Smith  that  in  three  days,  if  the 
Indians  were  not  surrendered,  they  would  capture 
the  fort.  The  camp  was  then  moved  two  miles 
below  Jacksonville,  and  nearer  the  fort,  where  the 
volunteers  remained  two  days,  maturing  plans  for 
the  capture. 

Being  ignorant  of  garrison  rules,  and  not  know- 
ing that  leave  of  absence  was  allowed  to  but  few  at 
a  time,  they  evolved  the  scheme  of  enticing  most  of 
the  soldiers  out  of  the  fort  and  getting  them  drunk, 
thus  making  the  capture  an  easy  task.  The  cannon 
at  the  fort  were  brought  out  and  placed  for  defense, 
and  preparations  were  perfected  for  repelling  the 
threatened  attack.  Thus  matters  stood  on  the  sec- 
ond night,  when  Captain  Martin  put  an  end  to  the 
brainless  project.  He  had  been  thinking  about  the 
matter   and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  a 


RICHARD  DORAN 

Was  born  February  2,  1833,  in  the  parish  of  Moran, 
county  of  Down,  Ireland.  His  parents  were  Rich- 
ard and  Mary  (Byrne)  Doran.  They  both  died 
in  1870.  Richard  received  a  good  common  school 
education,  and  also  attended  the  academy  of  Kilkeel, 
a  sea-port  town  of  his  county,  which  he  left  at  the 
age  of  sixteen,  on  account  of  poor  health.  For  two 
years  after  he  farmed  with  his  father,  when  he 
obtained  a  clerkship  in  the  Liverpool  commission 
and  shipping  house  of  Harnden  &  Co.  He  con- 
tinued with  them  two  years,  when  the  firm  failed, 
in  1852.  Being  given  by  them  a  tatter  of  recom- 
mendation to  Tapscott  &  Co.,  eighty-six  South  street, 
New  York,  he  embarked  for  America  by  the  packet 
ship  Columbia,  and  secured  a  position  with  them 
as  book-keeper,  which  he  held  for  two  years.  He 
then  caught  the  California  fever,  which  was  remark- 
ably contagious  at  that  time,  resigned  his  position, 
took  passage  by  the  Panama  route  for  the  land  of 
golden  promise,  and  arrived  in  San  Francisco  about 
the  third  of  May,  1854.  In  one  week  he  was  en 
route  for  Poorman's  creek,  Nevada  county.  He 
placer-mined  in  that  county  for  four  years,  when 
he  was  offered  and  accepted  a  position  in  San  Fran- 
cisco under  Postmaster  Weller,  in  the  distributing 
department.  The  Frazer  river  excitement  caused 
him  to  leave  Uncle  Sam's  service.  Before  proceed- 
ing thither  he  changed  his  intentions,  and  went  to 
Josephine  county,  Oregon,  arriving  in  the  spring 
of  1858.  He  was  engaged  again  in  placer  mining 
that  summer,  fall,  and  winter,  and  came  out  about 
$700  ahead.  In  the  following  spring,  Mr.  Doran 
came  to  Sawyer's  Bar,  on  Salmon  river,  then  in 
Klamath  county.  Immediately  he  engaged  in 
merchandising  at   Hickey's  flat.      The   freshet   of 


1861-62,  swept  away  saw-mills,  flumes,  dams,  and 
everything.  Everybody  became  bankrupt,  includ- 
ing Mr.  Doran.  The  Florence  excitement  came 
most  opportunely  for  those  free  to  move,  and  all 
who  could  leave  departed  for  Idaho.  Mr.  Doran, 
however,  went  to  Sawyer's  Bar,  where  he  opened 
a  meat-market  and  saloon,  which  he  conducted  for 
two  years.  He  then  sold  out,  and  went  into  part- 
nership with  Mr.  Dwyer  in  the  general  merchandise 
business,  continuing  so  for  a  couple  of  years,  when 
he  bought  out  his  partner's  interest,  and  ran  a  very 
successful  business  till  1872,  accumulating  about 
$20,000.  Previously  to  this,  in  1870,  he  had  bought 
into  the  Morning  Star  quartz  mine.  Originally,  he 
owned  a  fifth  in  the  mine,  but  gradually  bought 
out  the  partners  after  the  burning  of  the  mill,  in 
December,  1876,  which  he  rebuilt,  at  an  expense  of 
$8,000.  From  1872  to  1880,  Mr.  Doran  gave  his 
whole  time  and  attention  to  mining,  when  he  gave 
up  the  venture  which  unfortunately  had  swallowed 
up  all  his  means.  In  March,  1880,  he  came  to 
Etna,  and  took  the  old  stand  of  Parker,  Campbell 
&  Co.,  re-fitting  the  hall  into  a  first-class  saloon  and 
billiard  establishment.  Later,  in  July,  1881,  he 
purchased  the  building  of  the  owners.  Mr.  Doran 
has  one  brother,  Patrick  Doran,  in  this  county,  who 
is  engaged  in  the  very  promising  quartz  mine,  the 
Last  Chance,  on  the  Salmon  river,  five  miles  west 
of  the  Black  Bear  quartz  mine.  Patrick  came  to 
California  in  1856.  There  are  yet  one  brother  and 
four  sisters  in  Ireland.  Mr.  Richard  Doran  is  one 
of  the  most  public  spirited  citizens  of  Etna.  His 
upright  character,  temperate  habits,  and  courteous 
and  gentlemanly  bearing,  have  won  for  him  hosts 
of  friends,  who  are  confident  of  his  future  success 
and  prosperity. 


mm&tt&mas^ 


wmm:  n 


<  r- 

O  .^ 

lU  "i/" 

a 

E  $ 

en  " 

UJ  B 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


141 


riiliculous  undertaking,  this  effort  to  whip  the 
United  States  government,  and  refused  to  let  his 
company  have  anything  more  to  do  with  it.  This 
knocked  the  bottom  out  of  the  whole  scheme,  the 
companies  broke  up  and  returned  home,  the  mounted 
company  paying  a  visit  to  the  cave  near  Cottonwood, 
but  rinding  ud  Indians.  This  cloud-speck  of  war 
having  been  removed  from  his  horizon, Captain  Smith 
withdrew  his  cannon,  and  the  hum-drum  life  at  the 
fort  was  resumed  for  a  while,  soon  to  be  followed  by 
the  outbreak  of  the  Rogue  River  Indians  and  the 
consequent  activity  among  the  soldiers. 

When  the  war  in  Rogue  River  valley  was  over 
and  a  treaty  was  made,  the  two  Indians  which  the 
Humbug  troops  had  demanded,  were  surrendered 
to  the  sheriff  of  Siskiyou  county,  upon  a  warrant 
fur  murder.  They  were  brought  to  Yreka  and 
kept  in  jail  until  the  Grand  Jury  met,  when  no 
indictment  was  found  for  lack  of  evidence,  and 
they  were  released.  It  was  "out  of  the  fat  and 
into  the  tire"  for  the  prisoners,  for  in  the  town  was 
a  man  named  Parrish,  whose  brother  had  met  his 
death  in  the  massacre,  and  a  few  others,  who  were 
determined  the  savages  should  die.  They  were 
informed  of  the  time  the  sheriff  intended  to  let 
them  go,  and  stationed  themselves  near  the  jail. 
No  sooner  were  their  victims  without  the  jail  gate, 
than  these  men  locked  arms  with  them,  and  took 
them  a  little  south  of  town,  where  they  were  sum- 
marily shot  and  tumbled  into  an  old  mining  shaft, 
at  the  bottom  of  which  their  bones  lie  to  the  pres- 
ent day. 

Muster  rolls  of  the  companies  engaged  in  this 
expedition  were  forwarded  to  the  State  authorities, 
and  out  of  the  appropriations  made  by  Congress 
to  defray  the  expenses  of  Indian  wars  in  California, 
was  set  aside  a  certain  sum  to  pay  these  volunteers. 
Some  ten  years  ago  a  number  of  them  who  made 
application  in  due  form  received  their  pay,  and 
money  now  lies  in  the  State  treasury  at  Sacra- 
mento, to  pay  those  who  through  ignorance  or 
death  have  never  demanded  it. 

COSBY 'S   MODOC   CAMPAIGN. 

During  the  winter  and  spring  of  1855—56,  a  bloody 
Indian  war  was  raging-  in  southern  Oregon,  that 
cost  the  lives  of  many  soldiers  and  settlers,  and  was 
the  source  of  great  expense  to  the  government. 
The  hostilities  were  chiefly  with  the  powerful  Tototin 
tribe,  on  lower  Rogue  river,  and  it  was  at  a  massacre 
near  the  mouth  of  this  stream  that  Captain  Ben. 
Wright  lost  his  life,  in  February,  1850.  During 
all  these  difficulties,  the  Klamath,  Lake,  and  Modoc 
tribes  remained  quietly  at  home,  and  committed  no 
outrages  of  a  serious  character;  and  the  people  of 
Siskiyou  pursued  their  business  in  comparative 
security,  tioubled  only  by  the  natural  anxiety  for 
possible  outbreaks  by  Indians  here,  on  account  of 
so  protracted  a  war  but  a  few  miles  away. 

In  June,  1856,  Charles  Green  and  Thomas  Stewart 
were  killed  by  Indians  on  McKinney  creek,  and  a 
little  excitement  followed.  Several  people  had  been 
killed  on  Siskiyou  mountain  the  fall  before.  They 
were  Calvin  M.  Fields,  John  Cunningham,  and 
Samuel  Warner.  Charles  Scott  and  Theodore  Snow 
had  been  murdered  on  the  trail  between  Yreka  and 
Scott  Bar    about  the  same  time.      These  murders 


were  probably  all  committed  by  Tipsu's  band.  Some 
stock  had  also  been  stolen  in  (Shasta  valley,  and  it 
pleased  the  military  authorities  at  Yreka  to  institute 
a  campaign  against  the  Modocs,  on  the  plea  that 
they  were  participants,  or  might  be  if  let  alone.  At 
that  time,  John  D.  Cosby  was  major  general,  D.  D. 
Colton,  brigadier,  and  there  were  enough  colonels 
and  majors  in  the  town  of  Yreka  to  form  a  whole 
procession.  General  Cosby  wrote  to  the  governor  a 
letter  setting  forth  the  defenseless  condition  of  the 
people,  who  had  only  a  battalion  of  generals,  majors 
and  colonels  to  protect  them,  and  no  privates.  The 
governor  asked  General  Wool. for  troops,  but  was 
informed  that  the  war  in  Oregon  and  Washington 
demanded  all  the  troops,  and  he  had  neither  soldiers 
nor  inclination  to  inaugurate  a  new  war  where  it 
was  unnecessary. 

The  generals,  colonels  and  majors  wanted  to  win 
laurels  on  the  tented  field,  and  the  quartermasters 
and  their  friends  wanted  to  furnish  supplies,  so 
another  communication  was  addressed  to  the  gov- 
ernor, who  thin  authorized  General  Cosby  to  raise  a 
force  and  "atford  the  people  such  protection  as  their 
need  required."  It  was  at  once  supposed  that  their 
need  required  the  raising  of  a  force  to  go  more  Mute 
a  hundred  miles  away  and  stir  up  a  tribe  of  Indians 
that  was  remaining  comparatively  quiet.  Three 
companies  were  raised,  one  from  Humbug  under 
Capt.  William  Martin,  one  from  Hawkinsville 
under  Capt.  Robert  Williams,  and  one  from  Green- 
horn under  Capt.  Thomas  Ballard.  The  whole 
force  amounted  to  about  two  hundred  men.  Each 
man  furnished  his  own  horse  and  some  of  them  their 
own  guns.  The  others  were  supplied  with  the 
cheapest  kind  of  muskets,  apparently  designed  to 
maim  the  reckless  man  who  dared  to  discharge  one. 
Thus  accoutred,  and  escorted  with  great  pomp  by 
the  bi  igade  of  generals,  colonels  and  majors,  the 
httle  battalion  of  privates  started  for  the  scene  of 
action. 

When  this  grand  array  of  occupation  had  pro- 
ceeded a  short  distance  beyond  Lost  river,  and  was 
moving  along  the  north  bank  of  Tule  lake,  Indian 
signs  were  discovered  on  an  island  a  short  distance 
out  among  the  tides.  A  number  of  men  waded  out 
to  inspect  it,  and  found  that  it  had  some  time  been 
the  camping  ground  of  a  band  of  Indians.  While 
this  was  going  on  a  number  of  Modocs  rode  clown 
from  the  mountains  near  the  lake,  and  a  volunteer 
detachment  of  twenty-four  was  sent  in  pursuit  of 
them.  They  went  charging  through  the  sage-brush, 
the  Indians  making  good  their  escape  into  the 
mountains.  The  men  then  rode  on  to  overtake  the 
battalion,  which  had  moved  on  and  camped  en  Clear 
lake. 

When  they  arrived  in  camp,  it  was  discovered 
that  one  of  their  number  was  missing,  and  the  next 
morning  a  detachment  under  Lieutenants  Warman 
and  Austin  went  back  to  look  for  him.  The  missing 
man  was  John  Alban,  more  familial  ly  known  as 
Greasy  John,  a  man  who  had  been  engaged  in  most 
of  the  Indian  wars  in  this  region  and  on  Rogue 
river,  his  body  was  found  in  the  sage-brush,  but  a 
short  distance  from  where  the  pursuit  was  com- 
menced the  day  before,  and  by  him  lay  his  gun 
broken  in  two.  He  had  been  riding  a  young  horse, 
and  it  was  supposed  that  it  balked  with  him,  and 


142 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


when  the  others  had  got  some  distance  in  advance, 
one  of  the  many  Indians  probably  lurking  in  the 
sage-brush  rose  up  and  shot  the  horse  with  an  arrow, 
the  owner  being  killed  in  the  same  way.  He  had 
evidently  broken  the  gun  to  keep  the  Modocs  from 
securing  it.  As  it  was  one  of  the  cheap  muskets  it 
might  have  been  better  to  have  let  them  have  it. 
Some  one  of  them  would  probably  have  tried  to  shoot 
it  off  and  been  killed. 

As  the  detachment  was  moving  back  to  camp, 
and  while  on  the  flat  some  distance  from  Bloody 
Point,  they  were  attacked  by  Indians.  Unused  to 
Indian  fighting,  they  thought  the  best  plan  of  defense 
was  to  ascend  a  small  mountain  in  the  range  of  hills 
to  the  left,  and  started  up  the  sage-covered  slope. 
The  mountain  was  full  of  Indians;  from  behind 
nearly  every  clump  of  sage-brush  rose  up  a  Modoc 
warrior,  discharged  his  arrow  at  them,  and  disap- 
peared. Lieut.  H.  H.  Warman  was  shot  dead  and 
several  were  wounded  before  they  succeeded  in  extri- 
cating themselves  from  this  ambuscade  and  made  a 
safe  retreat  to  camp. 

The  headquarters  were  then  established  at  Clear 
lake  and  the  active  campaign  was  commenced. 
Scouting  parties  and  detachments  were  continually 
sent  out,  who  had  occasional  skirmishes  with  the 
savages,  but  no  damage  was  either  inflicted  or 
received.  With  each  little  party  went  a  field  officer, 
and  then  most  glowing  and  heroic  accounts  were  sent 
to  Yreka  and  thus  throughout  the  State,  of  a  great 
expedition  under  the  personal  command  of  General 
so  and-so,  or  Colonel  or  Major  somebody,  which  had 
defeated  the  Modocs  in  a  bloody  engagement  and 
killed  a  great  many  of  them.  In  fact,  enough  war- 
riors were  reported  killed  to  have  annihilated  the 
tribes  of  northern  California;  the  millennium  of 
"good  Indians"  seemed  to  be  at  hand.  One  more 
soldier  was  killed  in  this  sanguinary  war.  Corporal 
John  Bond  was  accidentally  shot  by  a  trooper  named 
Madden. 

One  squaw  yielded  up  her  life  on  the  altar  that 
gave  honor  and  fame  to  the  commanders  of  this  army, 
and  as  she  was  the  only  Indian  known  to  have  been 
killed  or  even  wounded  during  the  entire  campaign, 
it  is  fitting  that  the  manner  of  her  "  taking  off"  be 
detailed.  One  of  the  numerous  expeditions,  this 
time  headed  by  Gen.  John  D.  Cosby  in  person,  dis- 
covered Indian  signs  on  an  island  in  Tule  lake,  and  a 
detachment  was  sent  to  investigate  it,  led  by  Cap- 
tain Martin.  When  danger  was  to  be  apprehended 
the  captains  and  lieutenants  were  pushed  to  the 
front,  but  at  all  other  times  the  command  with  all 
the  consequent  glory  and  honor  was  assumed  by 
some  field  officer.  Expecting  a  skirmish  at  the 
island,  it  was  at  once  thought  that  Captain  Martin 
was  good  enough  to  head  the  detail  that  waded 
through  the  water  to  reach  it.  There  had  been  a 
few  Indians  on  the  island  but  they  made  their  escape, 
save  one  squaw  who  was  shot  by  private  Riley, 
while  in  the  act  of  aiming  an  arrow  at  Captain 
Martin. 

"It  was  a  glorious  victory." 

Whenever  " news  from  the  seat  of  war"  reached 
Yreka,  the  Union  issued  an  extra  with  glowing  ac- 
counts of  the  achievements  in  the  enemy's  country  ; 
these  were  copied  by  the  papers  throughout  the  State, 
and  in  this  way  the  people  of  California  absorbed 


the  idea  that  a  necessary  and   successful   war  was 
being  waged  against  the  Modocs. 

More  interesting  reading  than  one  of  the  reports 
of  these  blood3r  battles  cannot  be  found.  It  is 
clipped  from  the  Yreka  Union  of  August  7,  1856, 
and  pretends  to  detail  the  facts  of  the  first  brush,  in 
fact  the  only  brush,  with  the  Modocs,  which  have 
been  correctly  set  forth  above.  In  view  of  the 
truth  in  the  matter  it  may  be  said  to  be  quite  rich : — 

First  intelligence  from  the  tear  against  the  Modocs — A  series  of 
engagements — Death  of  Lieutenant  Warman  and  Sergeant  Alban 
— The  killed  and  wounded — Narrow  escape  of  General  Cosby — 
Loss  of  the  Indians —  The  Indians  numerous  and  eager  for  the  fight 
— Brave  death  of  Sargeant  Alban — Incidents,  etc.,  etc. 

Adjutant  General  Templeton,  in  company  with  several  of  Gen- 
eral Cosby's  command,  arrived  in  town  last  evening  from  the 
scene  of  operations  against  the  M  >docs  and  Des  Chutes  Indians. 
On  the  £5th  of  July,  General  Coslry  dispatched  Captain  Will- 
iams with  forty-one  men  to  the  eastern  coast  of  Klamath  lake. 
Oa  the  evening  of  the  '19th  the  main  body  encamped  at  the  nat- 
ural bridge  at  Lost  river. 

At  this  place  the  Indians  were  prowling  around  the  camp  dur- 
ing the  night,  and  shot  several  arrows  inside  of  the  guard,  but 
without  doin^  any  damage. 

The  first  engagement. — The  next  morning,  whilst  on  the  march 
from  Lost  river  to  Camp  Martin,  on  Clear  lake,  the  advance 
guard  descried  a  body  of  Indians  about  two  miles  distant,  in  the 
direction  of  Tule  lake.  The  guard  started  in  immediate  pursuit. 
On  arriving  at  the  lake,  they  found  a  rancheria  on  an  island 
about  six  hundred  yards  from  shore,  and  about  fifty  of  sixty 
Iudian  warriors  drawn  up  for  battle.  The  guard  here  dis- 
mounted, and  charged  on  foot  through  the  water,  which  was 
about  three  feet  deep.  Before  reaching  the  island,  the  Indians 
made  their  escape  in  canoes.  Their  village,  together  with  a  lot 
of  provisions,  was  burnt  and  destroyed.  One  Indian  in  this 
skirmish  was  killed. 

Second  engagement. — On  regaining  the  road,  a  body  of  mounted 
warriors  were  seen  descending  from  the  mountain  on  the  east, 
doubtle-s  attracted  by  the  burning  of  the  island.  The  main 
command  overtook  the  guard  at  this  place,  and  Captain  Martin, 
with  twenty-seven  men,  started  in  pursuit.  The  indiaus  were 
well  mounted,  anl  for  a  distance  of  about  fourteen  miles  the 
chase  was  hotly  contested.  They  finally  succeeded  in  gaining 
some  high  hlutf-i,  where  they  concealed  themselves  among  the 
rocks,  and  the  chase  was  abandoned — not,  however,  uutd  Cap- 
tain Martin's  command  had  killed  one  Indian  and  shot  the  horse 
from  under  another. 

A  Man  Missing. — On  reaching  the  encampment  on  the  evening 
of  the  30fch,  it  was  ascertained  that  John  Alban,  of  Company 
B,  was  missing.  He  had  separated  from  the  main  comm  md, 
and  had  been  cut  off  by  the  Indians.  Scouts  were  immediately 
dispatched  to  the  mountains,  and  during  the  next  three  days  and 
nights  the  most  diligent  search  was  made  for  the  missing  man. 
On  the  2d  instant  his  body  was  found  horribly  mutilated,  his 
gun  and  revolver  lying  by  his  side,  broken  to  pieces. 

Third  Engagement. — On  the  afternoon  of  the  2d  instant  a 
detachment  of  twenty-three  men,  under  command  of  Lieutenant 
Warman,  were  surrounded  near  Bloody  Point — where  the 
lamented  Coats  lost  his  life  in  August,  1852 — by  nearly  two 
hundred  Indians.  The  savages  immediately  opened  a  heavy  tire 
upon  Lieutenant  Warmau's  command,  who  were  compelled  to 
cut  their  way  through  them  for  the  distance  of  several  miles. 
The  loss  in  this  engagement  was  :  Killed,  Second  Lieutenant  H. 
Warman  ;  wounded,  N.  C.  Miller  and  A.  McAllister.  The 
Indians  lost  eight  killed,  and  several  were  supposed  to  be 
wounded. 

Fourth  Engagement. — General  Cosby,  whilst  on  his  way  from 
Yreka  to  rejoin  the  command  with  an  escort  of  ten  men,  discov- 
ered the  Indians  nam  d  in  the  preceeding  engagement  returning 
from  the  battle.  General  Cosby  and  party  gave  them  immediate 
chase.  They  broke  and  fled  tj  the  mountains,  but,  finding  they 
were  being  rapidly  gained  upon,  they  took  up  a  position  in  a 
small  grove  of  cedar  near  the  base  of  the  mountain.  Here  they 
maintained  their  p  isition  until  they  were  driven  to  the  bluff  of 
the  mountain.  In  this  engagement  one  of  Cosby's  command  was 
badly  wounded.  Eight  horses  were  captured  from  the  Indiaus, 
and  several  of  their  number  wounded.  The  Indians  were  well 
armed  with  rifles,  and  mounted  on  fine  horses. 

On  the  3d  instant  General  Cosby  reached  the  camp  on  Clear 
lake,  named  Camp  Martin;  here  he  found  Captain  Williams  and 
the  detachment  that  was  sent  from  Willow  creek  to  Clear  lake. 
These  had  traveled  five  days  around  the  lake,  and  during  the 
expedition  found  a  large  body  of  Indians  on  the  north  side  ;  but 
as  they  were  near  the  water,  and  supplied  with  boats,  they  suc- 
ceeded in  making  their  escape  to  an  island.  Two  horses  were 
captured  at  this  point. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


143 


Incidents  of  the  Fiqht. — Dennis  Fitzpatrick  shot  the  Indian  who 
killed  Lieutenant  Wurman. 

General  Cosby  took  from  the  Indians  Warman's  hat,  and  also 
the  gun  of  Mr.  Miller,  which  was  lost  when  his  horse  was  shot 
from  under  him. 

General  Cosby  was  shot  through  his  pantaloons  and  shirt,  in 
front,  near  the  thighs. 

A  private  letter  received  from  Major  P.  Murray  states  that 
among  the  eight  horses  that  were  captured,  one  was  found  belong- 
ing to  Mr.  Howland.  The  saddle  of  the  person  murdered  at  the 
head  of  Shasta  valley  a  short  time  since  was  also  found. 

In  his  report  to  Gen.  John  E.  Wool,  commander 
of  the  department  of  the  pacific,  Capt.  H.  M.  JucUh, 
of  the  Fourth  Infantry,  stationed  at  Fort  Jones,  thus 
comments  on  the  article  and  the  campaign  against 
the  Modocs  in  general. 

As  a  truthful  statement  of  occurrences,  I  cannot  believe  the 
article  referred  to  is  at  all  to  be  relied  upon,  its  inconsistences 
being  too  prominent  to  require  notice,  particularly  that  which 
makes  a  large  hody  of  Indians,  flushed  with  victory,  and  through 
which  twenty-three  volunteers  were  forced  to  cut  their  way  for 
several  miles,  retreat  before  General  Cosby  and  ten  men.  The 
statement  that  the  volu  iteers  pursued  and  endeavored  to  attack 
the  first  body  of  Indians  they  enc  untered  is  significant,  and 
entirely  sustains  me  in  my  opinion  of  the  character  of  the  entire 
expedition.  I  communicated  to  Colonel  Coffee,  pay  department, 
while  on  his  recent  official  visit  to  this  post,  my  views  upon 
the  objects  of,  and  necessity  for,  the  military  movement  of 
General  Cosby,  and  would  respectfully  refer  to  him,  should  the 
commanding  general  desire  it,  for  information  inappropriate  to 
an  official  c  mmunication.  That  the  expedition  was  unauthor- 
ized by  the  circumstances  upon  which  the  necessity  for  it  was 
bas^d,  is  the  opinion  of  every  candid  and  honest  citizen  with 
whom  I  have  conversed  upon  the  subject.  It  was  possible, 
through  the  exercise  of  a  proper  discretion  and  judgment,  to 
have  ascertained  the  perpetrators  of  the  murders  upon  the  Siski- 
you mountain  (two  whi'e  men)  as  of  that  in  the  Shasta  valley 
(one  white  m;m),  the  more  readily  so  through  the  assistance  of 
the  chief  of  the  Kl;  math  Indians,  Alsk  (La  Lake)  who  has 
always  evinced  a  most  friendly  disposition  towards  the  whites, 
and  an  anxious  desire  to  maintain  peaceful  relations  with  them. 
When  last  in  Yreka,  he  stated  to  Mr.  Rosborough  (late  Indian 
agent)  that  among  so  many  Indians  as  he  attempted  to  control, 
there  were  necessarily  some  who  were  maliciously  disposed,  and, 
as  I  was  informed,  evinced  a  desire  to  assist  in  bringing  them  to 
justice  should  they  ever  be  guilty  of  any  outrages  against  the 
whites.  From  all  the  information  I  possess,  it  is  apparent  to 
me  that  the  volunteer  force  under  General  Cosby  had  no  inten- 
tion of  discriminating  between  Indians;  i  either  would  it  have 
been  possible  to  have  done  so,  in  view  of  its  character,  had  its 
commander  been  so  disposed.  The  Indians  in  the  vicinity  of 
Klamath  lakes  are  numerous,  and  if  forced  into  a  permanent 
hostde  position  towards  the  whites,  would  be  unusually  difficult 
to  subject,  through  the  vast  extent  of  marshes  or  tule  in  which 
they  are  enabled  to  conceal  themselves,  and  which  are  almost 
unapproachable.  Destined  as  the  volunteers  are  to  meet  with 
reverses,  or  at  least  with  inconsiderable  success,  it  is  possible 
that  they  may  relinquish  any  further  prosecution  of  hos- 
tilities. Should  th  s  not  occur,  their  prompt  recall,  or  at  least  a 
temporary  cessation  of  their  operations,  with  a  view  to  a  peace- 
ful settlement  of  existing  difficulties,  which  I  believe  to  be  prac- 
ticable, and  can  be  made  satisfactory,  is  necessary  to  avert  an 
Indian  war  of  a  serious  character.  I  have  resolved  to  take  no 
action  in  reference  to  the  disturbances  referred  to,  without 
instructions  from  the  general  commanding,  believing  that  in  this 
incipient  stage  of  hostilities  the  satisfactory  and  peaceful  termi- 
nation is  possible,  could  the  volunteer  force  be  rendered  inert, 
at  least  until  an  attempt  at  negotiation  has  been  fairly  made. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know  what  Captain 
Judah's  opinions  were,  that  were  "inappropriate  to 
an  official  communication." 

Alter  campaigning  all  the  fall  without  having 
been  able  to  inflict  any  damage  of  consequence  upon 
the  Modocs,  Generals  Cosby  and  Colton  led  their 
victorious  host  back  to  Yreka,  nothing  having-  been 
accomplished  to  secure  immunity  from  depredations 
in  the  future.  The  net  results  of  the  war  were 
three  volunteers  and  one  squaw  killed,  several 
wounded,  a  large  bill  of  expenses,  and  stacks  of 
glory  for  the  epauletted  commanders. 

The  only  good  accomplished  was  when  a  few  men 


were  detailed  to  go  to  Pit  river  and  protect  the 
settlers  while  cutting  hay.  They  brought  back  with 
them  some  children  ami  the  information  that  they 
had  made  a  few  "good  Indians."  When  the  army 
returned,  among  other  trophies  of  the  trip,  they 
brought  in  a  young  Modoc  squaw,  whom  they  named 
Tule,  and  who  is  the  wife  of  Jimmy  Irwin,  a  well- 
known  colored  citizen  of  Yreka. 

Some  time  after  the  return  of  the  army,  Judge  A. 
M.  Rosborough  spoke  to  La  Lake,  the  friendly  chuf 
of  the  Klamath  Lake  tribe,  and  asked  him  to  invite 
Schonchin,  chief  of  the  Modocs,  to  come  to  Yreka 
and  talk  with  him.  In  the  following  January,  La 
Lake  walked  into  the  Judge's  office  and  said  that 
Schonchin  was  in  the  hills  just  east  of  town  with 
seventy-five  warriors,  but  was  afraid  to  come  down. 
Assurances  of  friendship  and  safety  were  sent  the 
old  chief,  when  he  came  in  with  a  dozen  of  his  head 
men  and  was  taken  into  the  court-room,  where  an 
informal  "  talk"  was  had,  resulting  in  an  agreement 
by  Schonchin  to  restrain  his  people  from  committing 
any  depredations  in  the  future.  This  agreement  has 
never  been  violated  by  the  old  chief,  and  during  the 
trouble  with  Captain  Jack,  in  1873,  old  Schonchin 
remained  quietly  on  the  reservation  at  Yainox  with 
a  majority  of  his  tribe,  where  he  still  lives  and 
enjoys  the  love  of  his  people  and  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  the  whites. 

In  his  message  to  the  Legislature  in  the  spring  of 
1857,  Governor  Johnson  refers  to  General  Cosby 's 
campaign,  and  says,  "  He  took  the  field  in  person, 
and  with  the  volunteers  under  his  command,  after 
several  severe  engagements,  succeeded  at  length  in 
compelling  the  hostile  tribes  in  that  quarter  to  sue 
for  peace."  Mr.  Cosby  was  a  member  of  the  Senate 
from  Siskiyou  county  that  session,  and  introduced  a 
bill  authorizing  the  state  treasurer  to  issue  bonds  to 
the  amount  of  $200,000,  to  be  paid  out  of  funds  to 
be  appropriated  by  Congress  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  this  campaign.  When  interrogated  by  some 
inquisitive  member  about  the  number  of  Indians 
killed  in  the  war,  he  modestly  placed  the  number 
at  one  hundred  and  eighty-five.  When  the  bill  came 
up  for  final  action,  a  motion  was  made  to  reduce  the 
amount  to  $100,000,  when  Mr.  Cosby  sprang  to  his 
feet  and  delivered  a  most  effective  speech,  of  which 
the  following  is  an  interesting  passage  : — 

I  estimate  it  at  $200,000-  A  less  sum  than  that  would  be 
unjust  for  any  one  to  propose.  If  the  men  who  were  engaged 
in  that  war — and  I  was  engaged  there  myself — are  entitled  to 
anything,  they  are  entitled  to  full  pay.  There  were  three  hun- 
dred men  in  three  companies  engagud  in  it.  These  three  com- 
panies fought  at  the  same  time  four  powerful  tribes  of  Indians 
upon  our  north-western  frontier — tribes  that  had  been  fought 
by  the  regulars  and  militia  in  Oregon,  without  being  conquered, 
and  at  a  cost  of  $3,000,000.  We  made  a  peace  with  them;  and 
as  an  evidence  that  we  made  a  treaty  with  those  Indians  that 
they  would  respect,  I  may  say  that  one  condition  of  it  was,  that 
they  should  no  longer  trade  with  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 
I  believe,  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  others  who  have  mingled  with 
those  Indians,  that  the  cause  of  that  war,  and  of  all  the  wars  in 
Oregon,  from  the  first  Coyote  (Caynse)  war,  and  the  massacre  of 
Dr.  Whitman,  were  brought  about  by  the  influence  of  the 
voyngeurs  and  trappers  in  ihe  interest  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
any.  It  is  for  their  interest  to  keep  American  traders  from  these 
tribes,  that  they  may  have  a  monopoly  of  the  business  by  which 
they  reap  so  rich  a  harvest.  I  made  it  a  condition  of  that  treaty 
that  they  should  cease  trading  with  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 
I  made  it  a  condition  that  they  should  come  to  the  nearest  town 
in  Califo  nia,  which  was  Yreka,  to  do  their  trading.  Have 
these  Indians  given  any  evidence  that  they  will  stand  by  this 
treaty  ? 

Sir,   I  have  been  in  this  hall,  and  when  the  distance  between 


144 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


their  home  and  Yreka  is  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  miles,  and 
every  inch  of  that  covered  with  snow  deeper  than  a  man's  head — 
aye,  deeper  than  their  chief's  head,  who  stands  like  Saul,  a  head 
and  shoulders  above  his  men— they  came  on  suow-shoes,  and  in 
a  state  of  starvation,  into  Yreka,  because  they  considered  it  was 
a  part  of  their  treaty  stipulation,  and  they  must  fulfill  it. 
Twelve  chii  fs,  at  the  risk  of  life,  came  a  distance  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty-five  miles,  to  fulfill  the  first  stipulation  of  that 
treaty."  That  has  been  the  effect  of  that  war.  Such  was  not  my 
intention  to  force  them  to  come  at  that  inclement  season  at  the 
risk  of  their  lives,  but  they  so  understood. 

There  are  some  men  who  have  come  from  those  fields  maimed  for 
]ife — Some  lie  upon  the  fields  now,  and  will  never  be  removed. 
Some  of  them  had  wives  and  children,  and  if  their  services  are 
worth  anything  let  their  children  have  it. 

The  effect  of  this  was  electrical.  The  bill  passed 
at  once;  and  so  it  ought,  for,  although  the  Legis- 
lature acted  under  an  entire  misapprehension  and 
misstatement  of  facts,  still  the  volunteers  had 
enlisted  in  good  faith  at  the  call  of  the  proper 
authorities,  and  were  entitled  to  pay  for  their  serv- 
ices. How  much  pay  the  projectors  of  the  cam- 
paign and  their  friends  who  furnished  supplies  were 
entitled  to,  is  entirely  another  matter.  Later  the 
general  government  made  an  appropriation,  and 
those  who  held  the  proper  vouchers,  received  their 
money.  The  poor  volunteers  who  had  enlisted  at 
two  dollars  per  day,  were  cut  down  to  regular  army 
pay. 

After  the  campaign  of  1856,  Siskiyou  county 
suffered  no  more  from  Indian  hostilities  until  the 
Modoc  war  of  1873.  Indian  wars  were  carried  on 
in  Hoopa  valley  and  on  Pit  liver,  participated  in 
by  volunteers  from  this  county,  but  as  the  seat  of 
difficulty  was  remote,  they  will  not  be  related  in 
this  volume. 


CHAPTERXIX. 

THE    GREAT    MODOC    WAR. 

After  the  treaty  made  in  1856,  there  was  no 
trouble  of  consequence  with  the  Modoc  tribe  until 
the  great  war  of  1873.  The  majority  of  them  lived 
on  Lost  river  and  Tule  lake,  but  there  was  one  band 
on  Hot  creek  and  another  on  Butte  creek.  This 
last  was  under  Old  Patcheye,  so  named  for  a  patch 
worn  over  one  of  his  eyes,  and  was  a  band  composed 
partly  of  Modocs  and  partty  of  renegades  from  other 
tribes. 

About  noon,  one  day  in  June,  1861,  Old  Patcheye, 
Scarface  Charley,  and  Patcheye's  son,  who  after- 
wards achieved  notoriety  under  the  name  of  Shack- 
nasty  Jim,  entered  the  little  cabin  of  stock-men  on 
Butte  creek,  and  standing  their  guns  up  in  the  cor- 
ner, seated  themselves  in  silence.  There  were  but 
three  men  there,  W.  J.  Evans,  Wiggins,  and  one 
other,  and  these  asked  to  what  fortunate  circum- 
stance they  were  indebted  for  the  honor  of  this 
visit  from  their  red  brothers:  They  soon  learned. 
They  were  proudly  informed  that  the  lovely  valley 
and  the  succulent  bunch  grass  upon  which  the  cattle 
were  grazing  were  both  the  property  of  the  Indians; 
that  the  heart  of  the  Indians  yearned  for  communion 
and  companionship  with  their  white  brothers,  and 
that  in  consequence  of  that  yearning  they  would  be 
permitted  to  remain  and  fatten  their  cattle  in  peace, 
provided  they  first  donated  to  the  native  landlords  a 
certain  sum  of  money  and  a  generous  number  of  cat- 
tle and  horses;  that  if  this  modest  demand  was  not 
complied   with  before  so  many  suns,  the  red   men 


would  be  compelled  to  forego  the  pleasure  of  the 
white  brothers'  society,  and  would  make  themselves 
merry  and  rich  with  the  cattle  and  horses  of  the 
white  men,  and  might  even  be  constrained  by  inex- 
orable fate  to  shoot,  wound  and  kill  their  white 
brothers,  unless  they  vanished  with  their  cattle  from 
the  patrimonial  possessions  of  the  noble  red  man. 

As  the  full  strength  and  import  of  this  communi- 
cation penetrated  Mr.  Evan's  mind,  he  slowly  arose 
from  his  seat,  walked  towards  the  door,  and  took  his 
stand  between  the  threatening  visitors  and  their 
weapons,  thus  effectually  pulling  their  sting.  He 
then  remarked, 

''Well,  boys,  if  we  have  got  to  have  trouble,  we 
might  as  well  kill  these  three  now,  and  we  will  have 
so  many  less  to  fight  with." 

"  That's  so,"  exclaimed  his  companions. 

These  remarks,  understood  by  the  Indians,  did  not 
seem  to  have  a  cheering  effect  upon  them.  They 
saw  the  tiap  they  had  so  blindly  entered.  They 
had  expected  to  overawe  and  frighten  the  men,  and 
found  their  declaration  of  war  had  produced  an 
entirely  unlooked-for  effect.  They  pondered.  They 
.consulted.  They  finally  suggested  that  if  their 
white  brothers  would  not  be  too  precipitate  in  their 
action,  perhaps  some  amicable  arrangement  could  be 
made.  At  these  words  the  two  men  began  to  think 
that  perhaps  it  would  be  better  not  to  kill  them,  as 
that  would  surely  result  in  trouble.  Evans  insisted 
upon  shooting  them  then  and  there.  The  Indians 
begged  for  their  lives.  After  about  an  hour's  talk, 
a  squaw  man  named  McGowan,  entered.  He  had 
been  living  in  a  cabin  near  Ball's  present  place  for  a 
short  time  with  another  man  named  Bailey.  When 
the  situation  was  explained  to  him  he  opposed  the 
use  of  violence;  said  the  killing  of  these  would 
probably  result  in  a  long,  expensive  and  bloody 
Indian  war.  These  arguments  convinced  the  others, 
and  Evans  was  overruled.  He  told  the  Indians  that  he 
would  spare  their  lives  if  they  would  promise  never 
to  molest  the  men  or  the  cattle,  and  if  any  cattle 
strayed,  to  send  in  a  runner  and  tell  him  of  it.  This 
they  promised  faithfully  to  perform,  and  they  were 
permitted  to  depart  after  being  kept  prisoners  a  day 
and  night,  being  assured  that  if  any  harm  was  done 
by  them  the  first  Indian  that  was  seen  would  be 
instantly  shot. 

This  promise  and  similar  ones  made  later  were 
scrupulously  observed,  and  they  never  gave  the 
stock-men  any  trouble  nor  molested  the  cattle. 
Instead,  they  were  of  great  assistance  to  them  when- 
ever cattle  became  lost  and  strayed  from  the  band. 

To  have  everything  all  secure,  John  A.  Fairchilds 
made  a  treaty  with  them  in  1862.  He  sent  an  invi- 
tation to  the  whole  Modoc  tribe,  by  Lee  Bird,' a 
Cherokee  Indian  vaquero,  who  was  woiking  for 
him,  to  come  to  Butte  creek  and  have  a  big  talk. 
Fairchilds  was  not  personally  acquainted  w:ith  any 
of  them  at  that  time  save  Patcheye's  band.  This 
ignorance  came  near  getting  him  into  trouble. 

In  response  to  the  invitation  sent  by  Lee  Bird,  the 
Modocs  appeared  in  great  numbers  on  Butte  cieek, 
and  went  into  camp  some  distance  from  the  cabin  of 
the  men.  One  young  buck  about  twenty  years  of 
age  developed  considerable  familiarity  for  one  of  so 
short  an  acquaintance.  He  went  into  the  cabin 
and  seated  himself  upon  the  bed.     This  was  several 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


WILLIAM.   M.  TOWNSEND. 

He  was  born  December  5,  1827,  in  Clinton  county, 
Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Nancy  (Mcllwain) 
Townsend.  When  quite  young  his  parents  started 
for  the  West,  living  awhile  in  Indiana,  Illinois,  and 
finally  settling  in  Missouri.  When  he  was  twenty- 
six  years  of  age  he  left  home  and  crossed  the  plains 
to  California,  reaching  the  Shasta  river  in  just  four 
months  from  the  time  of  leaving  the  Missouri  river. 
In  California  he  engaged  at  whatever  he  could  find 
to  do,  until  in  1855  he  purchased  the  Slough  farm, 
where  he  lived  for  several  years,  afterwards  moving 
to  the  place  he  now  resides  on,  a  view  of  which  can 
be  seen  in  this  volume.     On  the  fifth  of  September, 

1858,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Angeline 
Carpenter,  daughter  of  James  and  Nancy  Carpenter, 
of  Shasta  valley.  She  was  born  in  Osage  count}^, 
Missouri,  February  13,  1844.  A  family  of  nine 
children  have  been  bom,  viz.:  John,  born  August  14, 

1859,  died  February  15,  I860;  Eliza  Jane  and  twin 
sister,  born  May  3,  1861,  the  latter  dying  on  the 
same  day;  Nancy  Emerline,  born  January  3,  1863, 
died  January  2,  1864;  Frances  Ann,  born  November 
29,  1864;  William,  born  January  25,  1867,  died 
October  25,  1868;  infant  son,  born  March  5,  1870, 
died  same  day;  infant  son,  born  July  14,  1875,  died 
July  14, 1875;  Alice  Maud,  born  May  23,  1878.  Of 
this  family,  Eliza  Jane,  Frances  Ann,  and  Alice 
Maud,  only  are  living.  Mr.  Townsend  is  engaged  in 
stock-growing  in  Shasta  valley,  in  which  trade  he 
has  been  quite  successful.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  lodge  at  Yreka. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat;  in  religion  a  Protestant. 


JOHN  MILLER. 


William  and  Eliza  (Smith)  Miller,  the  former  born 
in  Maryland  and  the  latter  in  Pennsylvania,  settled 
in  Green  county,  Ohio,  near  Jamestown,  where  were 
born  to  them  eight  children :  Johnson,  Catherine  Ann, 
Henry,  George,  Silas,  John,  Sarah  Jane  and  Louisa. 
John,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  March  15, 
1834,  and  now  lives  with  his  sister  Louisa  in  Little 
Shasta,  in  this  county.  Henry  resides  at  Browns- 
ville, Iowa,  and  Silas  at  Mechanicsville,  Iowa.  When 
six  years  of  age,  John  removed  with  his  parents  to 
Cedar  county,  Iowa,  and  there  remained  attending 
school  for  short  terms  in  winter,  and  working  on  a 
farm  and  in  a  grist-mill,  when  he  was  seized  with 
the  gold  fever.  He  saw  wagons  going  by  the  farm 
daily  on  their  way  to  California,  and  could  not 
withstand  the  temptation  to  join  them.  With  an 
uncle  and  his  brother  George,  he  crossed  the  plains 
with  an  ox-team  by  the  northern  route,  the  Blue 
mountains  and  The  Dalles.  Being  without  money 
when  he  reached  Oregon,  he  turned  his  hand  to  any- 
thing he  could  find  to  do  during  the  first  winter,  and  in 
the  spring  combined  with  some  others  and  bought  a 
horse  on  which  to  pack  their  blankets,  and  started 
on  foot  for  the  Jacksonville  mines.  He  worked 
there  for  some  time,  and  then  came  to  this  county 
and  worked  with  his  brother  George  on  Humbug 
in  1854.  That  winter  he  returned  to  the  mines  at 
Jacksonville,  and  remained  until  June,  1855,  when 
he  and  his  brother   located  on   the   ranch  in  Little 


Shasta,  which  is  still  his  home.  The  two  brothers 
were  in  partnership  in  stock-raising  and  farming 
until  the  death  of  George  in  1867,  since  which  time 
John  has  managed  the  business  alone.  He  now  has 
1,400  acres  ol  land  under  a  good  state  of  cultivation, 
adapted  to  grazing  and  grain,  well  watered  and 
fenced.  He  has  a  good,  comfortable  residence,  a 
view  of  which  is  given  on  another  page.  The  house 
is  presided  over  by  his  sister  Louisa,  Mrs.  Hart,  whose 
husband  died  in  the  service  of  his  country  during  the 
rebellion.  She  came  to  California  and  took  charge 
of  her  brother's  house,  accompanied  by  her  two  sons, 
William  George,  born  May  16,  1859,  and  Charles 
Edwin,  born  March  4, 1862.  Mr.  Miller  is  exten- 
sively engaged  in  cattle  and  horse  raising,  and  is  one 
of  the  eminently  successful  men  of  Siskiyou  county. 


WILLIAM   MILLER. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch,  son  of  George  and 
Mary  Christiana  Miller,  was  born  in  Nassau, 
Germany,  now  a  portion  of  Prussia,  November  22, 
1839.  When  he  was  seven  years  of  age,  the  family 
emigrated  to  America  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
La  Salle  county,  Illinois.  While  en  route  to  the  new 
home,  the  mother  died  in  Montreal.  At  the  home 
in  Illinois,  the  oldest  daughter  took  the  mother's 
place,  and  there  William  lived  until  nearly  twenty 
years  of  age.  He  was  then  possessed  with  a  desire 
to  go  to  California,  and  sailed  from  New  York  in 
the  spring  of  1858,  by  the  steamer  John  L.  Stevens, 
landing  in  San  Francisco  May  2  2d.  The  passage 
was  quick  and  pleasant,  but  one  day  being  spent  on 
the  Isthmus.  He  came  at  once  to  Siskiyou  county, 
and  worked  for  a  short  time  for  John  B.  Rohrer,  in 
Little  Shasta  valley,  soon  afterwards  engaging  in 
mining  at  Hawkinsville,  both  hydraulic  and  drift. 
In  company  with  his  brother  Philip,  Morris  R.  Betts, 
and  two  Frenchmen,  he  dug  a  ditch  there,  selling  the 
surplus  water  to  other  miners.  In  1861  he  went  to 
Shasta  county,  and  engaged  in  silver  mining  at  what 
is  now  Pittsburg.  He  remained  there  about  a  year, 
paying  as  high  as  fifty  dollars  a  foot  for  interests  in 
quartz  ledges,  and  sinking  all  the  money  he  had 
previously  been  able  to  save.  He  then  returned 
to  Little  Shasta  and  purchased  a  farm,  which,  by 
his  energy  and  business  capacity,  he  was  enabled 
soon  to  pay  for,  and  upon  which  he  still  resides.  He 
has  yearly  added  to  his  property,  and  now  owns  one 
of  the  finest  places  in  the  valley,  consisting  of  a  good 
residence,  farm  buildings,  and  nine  hundred  acres  of 
excellent  land.  The  farm  is  well  adapted  for  graz- 
ing and  grain  growing,  and  as  high  as  forty  bushels 
of  wheat  to  the  acre  have  been  raised.  When  he 
commenced  farming  he  paid  two  dollars  and  one- 
half  per  bushel  for  wheat,  oats  and  barley  for  seed, 
and  he  has  paid  eight  dollars  per  hundred  for  pota- 
toes. He  can  raise  two  and  one-half  to  three  tons  of 
hay  per  acre,  and  has  cut  hay  three  times  in  one  year. 
All  is  consumed  on  the  place  by  cattle,  of  which  he 
has  a  large  number.  His  residence  stands  on  section 
twenty-eight,  and  with  his  farm  premises  forms  one  of 
the  illustrations  in  this  volume.  Mr.  Miller  is  one  of 
the  successful  men  of  the  county,  and  owes  the  posi- 
tion he  occupies  to  his  own  energy,  hard  work,  and 
careful  management.     Mr.  Miller  was  married  June 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


4,  1876,  by  Hon.  A.  M.  Rosborough,  to  Miss  Maria 
Martens,  of  Yreka,  daughter  of  Nicolaus  and  Maria 
Martens,  of  Hanover,  Germany.  After  coming  to 
the  United  States,  Mrs.  Miller  stopped  a  few  years 
in  New  York,  finally  accompanying  the  family  with 
whom  she  lived  to  the  Pacific  coast.  Her  parents 
died  in  Germany.  She  had  two  brothers  and  three 
sisters:  Anna  died  in  Germany,  and  Lena  in  Phila- 
delphia; Carl  lives  on  a  farm  at  Galena,  Illinois,  and 
Henry  died  in  New  York;  Catarina  is  married  to 
Henry  Ducker,  a  groceryman,  at  72  Sheriff  street, 
New  York.  Mr.  Miller  is  a  Protestant  in  religion 
and  a  liberal  in  politics,  giving  his  allegiance  to  prin- 
ciples and  not  party.  He  has  seen  Little  Shasta 
valle}r  advance  from  a  thinly  settled  wild  to  the 
beautiful  and  cultivated  valley  as  it  is  to-day.  In 
1879  Mr.  Miller's  aged  father  went  to  his  long  home 
from  the  old  place  in  La  Salle,  Illinois,  where  he  set- 
tled so  long  ago. 


JOSIAH  R.  AND  ELIPHALET  B.  EDSON. 

Charles  Edson  was  born  in  Woodstock,  Windsor 
county,  Vermont,  August  4,  1799.  He  was  of  Eng- 
lish ancestry.  In  his  boyhood  days  he  removed 
with  his  parents  to  Luzerne  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where,  in  later  years,  he  made  the  acquaintance  of 
and  wedded  Susan  Stevens,  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Lucy  Stevens.  They  reared  a  family  of  nine 
children,  five  sons  and  four  daughters,  viz.:  Harriet 
C.  (now  Mrs.  H.  C.  Eddy,  residing  at  the  home  at 
Gazelle,  Shasta  valley),  Sarah  B.,  deceased,  Josiah 
R.,  Charles  Thomas,  deceased,  Epaphras  Wadsworth, 
now  at  Sterling,  Illinois;  Lucy  A.,  now  Mrs.  Jerome 
Fay;  Eliphalet  B.,  Clinton  A.,  now  of  Alameda; 
and  Susan  E.,  now  Mrs.  L.  M.  Foulke,  of  Nevada. 
J.  R.  was  born  near  Muncy,  in  Lycoming  county, 
Pennsylvania,  the  three  youngest  in  Lee  county, 
Illinois,  near  Dixon,  and  the  balance  of  the  family 
in  Luzerne  county,  Pennsjdvania.  Their  father 
died  at  Dixon,  Illinois,  in  the  month  of  March, 
1854;  their  mother  at  Gazelle,  the  present  family 
home,  on  the  eleventh  day  of  October,  1880.  Josiah 
R.  and  his  sister,  Mrs.  Eddy,  crossed  the  plains  in 
1852,  direct  to  Yreka.  In  1853  they  purchased 
the  ranch  on  which  they  now  reside,  known  then 
as  the  Brady  ranch,  and  one  of  the  first  located  in 
Siskiyou  county.  In  1863,  the  balance  of  the 
family  followed  them  to  California,  where  they 
have  since  continued  to  live,  except  three  years' 
absence  in  the  East.  The  farm  contains  about 
3,500  acres,  is  located  on  a  beautiful  plain  in  Shasta 
valley,  on  the  California  and  Oregon  stage  road. 
The  post-office  is  called  Gazelle,  Mrs.  Eddy  being 
postmistress,  and  is  kept  in  their  residence.  Ever 
since  the  location  of  the  place  it  has  been  kept  as 
a  public  house,  and  well  deserves  the  name  of  popu- 
lar place.  The  house  is  surrounded  with  a  fine 
lawn,  flower  gardens,  and  beautiful  shade  trees.  A 
pleasing  sight  to  the  weary  stage  traveler,  is  this 
oasis  on  the  plain.  In  religion,  they  are  Protestants, 
in  politics,  staunch  Republicans.  Their  grand- 
father Stevens  was  seven  years  in  the  revolutionary 
war.  Two  of  the  brothers  were  in  the  late  war 
of  the  rebellion;  Epaphras  was  with  the  Sturges 
rifles  and  on  McClellan's  body  guard,  and  Eliphalet 


was  in  Sherman's  army.  From  the  residence  the 
famous  Mount  Shasta  is  in  full  view,  also  the  peak 
of  Mount  Pitt  or  McLaughlin,  nearly  100  miles 
away  in  Oregon. 


GILBERT  LANPHIER 


Was  the  son  of  Nathan  and  Hannah  (Griffin)  Lan- 
phier,  of  Waldo  county,  Maine,  where  Gilbert  was 
born,  August  16,  1812.  His  father  died  at  Nash- 
ville, Tennessee,  in  1817,  after  which  Gilbert 
removed,  with  his  grandfather,  to  Summit  county, 
Ohio.  Here  he  lived  on  a  farm  until  sixteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  went  to  learn  the  carpenter's  trade 
with  an  uncle.  He  continued  to  work  at  his  trade 
until  1850,  when,  early  in  the  spring,  he  started 
across  the  plains  to  California  with  horses  and 
mules,  arriving  at  Sacramento  July  20,  1850.  His 
first  move  Avas  to  the  Mokelumne  river  to  mine;  in 
a  few  months  he  went  to  Mariposa  county,  and 
from  there,  in  company  with  Charles  Moore,  went 
to  Downieville,  arriving  in  the  spring  of  1851 ;  late 
in  1852  he  went  to  Shasta  county,  and  in  January, 
1853,  removed  to  Siskiyou  county,  and  engaged  in 
mining  for  about  six  years.  In  1859  returned  to 
his  trade  at  Yreka,  which  he  followed,  with  slight 
interruptions,  until  1871,  when  he  removed  to 
Strawberry  valley.  During  the  years  1863-64  he 
was  city  marshal  of  Yreka.  The  years  1855  to 
1859  he  spent  at  Scott  Bar.  He  was  made  a  Mason 
in  1854,  and  is  a  member  of  St.  John's  Lodge  at 
Yreka.  He  took  chapter  degrees  in  Akron,  Ohio, 
in  1855 ;  was  made  a  Royal  and  Select  Master  at 
San  Francisco  in  1858,  and  a  Knight  Templar  in 
1859.  He  is  a  member  of  California  Commandery 
No.  1,  stationed  at  San  Francisco,  and  was  for  three 
years  Master  of  Owen  Lodge  at  Scott  Bar,  and 
High  Priest  of  Cyrus  Chapter  at  Yreka  for  the 
same  length  of  time;  also  held  all  the  other  offices 
of  the  chapter.  He  has  been  Junior  Grand  Deacon 
of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  California,  and  was  Royal 
Arch  Captain  of  the  Grand  Chapter  of  California. 
He  is  at  present  deputy  postmaster  and  agent  of 
Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.'s  office  at  Berryvale.  In  religion 
he  is  a  Protestant,  believing  in  universal  salvation. 
In  politics  he  is  a  staunch  Republican. 


JOSEPH  S.  FELLOWS  (DECEASED) 

Was  a  native  of  Boston,  Massachusetts,  where  his 
boyhood  days  and  early  manhood  were  spent.  In 
1850  he  came  to  San  Francisco.  After  remaining 
there  about  two  years  he  removed  to  Portland,  Ore- 
gon, and  later  to  Yreka.  He  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  and  soon  established  himself  in  that  and  a 
general  hardware  business.  In  1861  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Mrs.  S.  J.  Belden,  of  Ohio.  In  1866  they 
removed  to  Strawberry  valley,  and  at  once  began 
improving  the  place  that  is  now  the  home  of  Mrs. 
Fellows,  and  known  as  "  Mount  Shasta  Hotel," 
located  at  the  base  of  Mount  Shasta,  and  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  locations  on  the  road.  Mrs.  Fellows 
is  postmistress  and  keeps  a  stock  of  merchandise  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  neighborhood. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


145 


degrees  beyond  the  liberty  of  action  allowed  by  the 
stock-men,  and  when  Fairchilds  entered  the  cabin 
and  beheld  the  young  brave  perched  upon  the  bed, 
he  flew  into  a  passion  and  told  him  to  leave  or  he 
would  get  kicked  out.  This  cordial  invitation  to 
leave  was  accepted  by  the  savage  who  stalked  out  in 
silence.  A  short  time  thereafter  Lee  Bird  entered 
and  said: 

"  You've  made  trouble,  now." 

"How- so?"  asked  Fairchilds. 

"  What  did  you  want  to  go  and  kick  the  chief 
out  of  the  cabin  for  ?" 
I    "  I  didn't  kick  out  any  chief." 

"  Yes  you  did  too  That  young  fellow  you  just 
put  out  is  Captain  Jack,  one  of  the  head  chiefs." 

"What,  that  boy  a  chief?" 

"  Yes,  that's  Captain  Jack,  and  he  is  getting  ready 
to  leave  and  says  he  will  make  no  treaty." 

"Look  here,  you  go  and  tell  him  it  was  all  a  mis- 
take, and  ask  him  to  come  up  and  have  a  talk  with 
rue." 

He  did  so,  but  it  required  considerable  soft  talk- 
ing to  mollify  the  insulted  chief  and  heal  his  wounded 
honor,  but  it  was  accomplished  at  last,  and  the  nego- 
tiations were  proceeded  with. 

A  treaty  was  entered  into,  between  Fairchilds 
on  one  side,  and  Old  Schonchin,  Captain  Jack,  John 
Schonchin,  and  Patcheye,  whereby  title  to  the 
Butte  creek  country  was  conveyed  to  Fairchilds, 
with  the  privilege  of  ranging  his  stock  still  farther 
to  the  east  unmolested,  the  Indians  to  aid  him  with 
stray  cattle.  For  this  grant  and  immunity  from 
depredations,  Fairchilds  gave  them  money,  cattle, 
and  horses,  to  the  value  of  three  hundred  dollars, 
refusing,  however,  to  give  them  guns  and  ammuni- 
tion. They  asked  for  these,  but  he  said  that  he 
could  not  give  them  without  the  consent  of  the 
great  Chief  at  Washington,  and  they  had  to  be 
satisfied  without. 

In  1865  a  second  treaty  was  made,  extending  the 
stock  range  still  farther  towards  the  east.  Again, 
in  1866,  a  third  treaty  was  entered  into  with  the 
Modocs,  by  which  John  A.  Fairchilds  and  P.  A. 
Dorris  were  "-ranted  the  Hot  creek,  Cottonwood 
creek,  and  Lost  river  country,  Captain  Jack  reserv- 
ing a  tract  six  miles  square,  at  the  mouth  of  Lost 
river,  for  a  residence.  The  consideration  was  two 
hundred  dollars.  These  treaties  were  all  faithfully 
observed,  and  ever  after  the  last  one  Captain  Jack 
believed  and  said  that  he  had  sold  the  land  to  Fair- 
childs and  Dorris. 

In  1863,  Patcheye  was  shot  dead  in  Yreka,  by 
a  S  iasta  Indian  named  Bullhead.  His  band  then 
joined  the  Hot  creek  band  of  Modocs,  which,  ten 
years  lateiyjoined  Captain  Jack  in  the  lava  beds. 

The  government  dealings  with  these  Indians,  to 
which  can  be  largely  ascribed  the  Modoc  war,  com- 
menced in  1864.  After  considerable  trouble  and 
a  great  deal  of  talk,  a  treaty  was  signed,  October 
14,  1864,  by  the  Klamath  and  Modoc  Indians,  and 
bv  J.'  P.  Huntington  and  William  Logan,  com- 
missioners  appointed  for  that  purpose  by  the  gov- 
ernment. Those  who  signed  for  the  Modocs  were 
Schonchin,  Stak-it-ut,  Keint  Poos  (Captain  Jack), 
and  Chuck-e-i-ox.  By  this  treaty,  the  Indian  title 
to  all  the  land  claimed  by  both— tr-i-bes  was  given  to 
the  government,  and  they  agreed  to  live  on  the 
19  J      ° 


Klamath  reservation,  which  was  then  set  off  for 
them.  Certain  annual  distributions  of  goods  were 
to  be  made  by  the  government  through  the  Indian 
agent,  and  all  past  offenses  by  the  Indians  were 
canceled  and  forgiven.  Captain  Jack  always  main- 
tained that  he  never  agreed  to  give  up  his  home  on 
Lost  river  and  live  at  the  reservation,  and  that  if 
the  treaty  contained  that  provision,  he  had  been 
deceived  when  he  signed  it.  Old  Schonchin,  how- 
ever, said  differently,  and  with  his  followers  lived 
peaceably  on  the  reservation,  when  placed  there. 

The  treaty  was  revised  and  ratified  by  Congress, 
July  2,  1866,  and  the  amendments  then  made 
assented  to  by  the  Indians,  December  10,  I860. 
It  was  proclaimed  by  the  President  February  17, 
1870. 

Annually  the  Indians  were  called  together  at  the 
agency  and  a  distribution  of  annuit}^  goods  made, 
until  1867,  when,  in  consideration  of  the  rapidly 
increasing  settlement  of  people  along  Lost  river  and 
vicinity,  it  was  thought  best  to  locate  them  perma- 
nently on  the  reservation.  They  were  accordingly 
collected  there,  but  trouble  ensued  between  the  Kla- 
maths  and  Modocs.  The  reservation  was  in  the 
Klamath  county,  and  they  acted  very  insolently 
towards  the  Modocs,  taunting  them  with  being  inter- 
lopers. Captain  Jack  and  his  immediate  followers 
left,  and  once  more  took  up  their  residence  on  Lost 
river  while  Schonchin  and  his  band,  being  more 
than  half  the  tribe,  were  removed  from  the  vicinity 
of  the  inhospitable  Klamaths,  and  located  at  Yainox, 
near  the  southern  extremity  of  the  reservation. 

Thus  matters  stood  until  the  fall  of  1869,  when 
A.  B.  Meacham,  Superintendent,  gathered  them  all 
upon  the  reservation  again.  There  were  then  col- 
lected about  eight  hundred  Klamaths  or  La  Lakes, 
three  hundred  and  fifty  Snakes  or  Walpohpes,  and 
three  hundred  Modocs. 

Bitter  complaints  were  made  by  Captain  Jack,  of 
the  treatment  of  his  band  by  the  agents  that  winter. 
He  says  they  were  stinted  in  clothing  and  starved  in 
food.  As  an  instance:  The  government  allowed  a 
double  blanket  to  each  Indian,  but  when  they  were 
distributed  by  the  agent,  they  were  cut  into  single 
blankets  and  then  each  one  divided  in  the  middle, 
thus  making  one  Indian's  allowance  do  for  four,  or 
one-fourth  for  the  Indian  and  three-fourths  for  the 
ao-ent.  Food  was  so  scarce  that  some  of  the  band 
were  compelled  to  kill  their  horses  to  keep  from 
starving.  This  was  the  complaint  of  Captain  Jack 
and  his  band,  when  they  shook  the  mud  of  the  res- 
ervation from  off  their  feet  in  the  spring  of  1870, 
vowing  that  they  would  die  before  they  would 
return.  The  allegations  of  dishonest  treatment  were 
denied  by  the  agents. 

When  they  left  Yainox  the  seceding  Modocs  went 
to  Fairchilds'  ranch  and  begged  for  food.  That  gen- 
tleman says  that  they  were  scantily  clothed,  appeared 
half  starved,  and  looked  generally  wretched  and 
miserable.  He  gave  them  some  flour  and  meat,  and 
they  rehearsed  the  story  of  their  wrongs  at  Yainox. 
Soon  after  they  went  to  Yreka  and  told  their  tale  of 
misery  to  Judge  Steele,  saying  that  they  wanted  to 
live  at  their  old  home  on  Lost  river,  and  could  not 
be  taken  back  to  Yainox  alive.  Steele  promised  to 
do  what  lie  could  for  them,  and  they  went  back  to 
their  old  quarters  pear  Tule  lake. 


146 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


For  more  than  two  years  they  lived  on  Lost  river, 
supporting  themselves  by  hunting  and  fishing,  living 
peaceably  and  minding  their  own  business.  Old 
Schonchin,  with  his  followers,  remained  contentedly 
at  Yainox  without  starving,  and  to  them  the  agents 
point  as  proof  that  the  charges  made  by  Captain 
Jack  were  false,  and  only  trumped  up  by  him  as  an 
excuse  for  leaving  Yainox  and  living  on  Lost  river. 

Judge  Steele,  to  whom  the  Indians  had  communi- 
cated a  desire  so  to  do,  corresponded  with  the  land 
department,  to  see  if  the  Modocs  could  not  each  file 
upon  a  quarter-section  of  land  where  they  were  liv- 
ing, for  a  homestead.  In  1S72  he  received  a  letter 
from  the  department,  saying  that  such  action  would 
be  allowed.  This  letter  he  sent  to  Hendrick  Miller, 
on  Lost  river,  with  the  request  that  he  explain  it  to 
the  Indians,  and  have  them  come  to  Yreka,  and  he 
would  attend  to  the  business  for  them.  This  was 
the  state  of  affairs  when  Superintendent  Odeneal 
and  others  persuaded  the  Indian  department  to 
order  the  removal  of  Captain  Jack  to  the  reserva- 
tion, thus  precipitating  the  Modoc  war  with  all  its 
expense  of  life  and  treasure. 

There  seems  to  be  considerable  difference  of  opin- 
ion as  to  the  conduct  of  Captain  Jack's  band  while 
they  lived  on  Lost  river.  The  settlers  who  lived 
along  that  stream,  which  is  in  the  State  of  Oregon, 
claimed  that  the  Indians  were  very  insolent  and 
extortionate,  coming  in  armed  parties  to  their 
houses,  frightening  the  women  and  children,  and 
demanding  beef  and  flour  for  the  rent  of  the  lands 
which  they  claimed  to  own.  On  the  other  hand, 
those  on  the  California  side  of  the  line  had  no  diffi- 
culty with  them  in  this  regard  and  got  along  peace- 
fully. That  there  was  a  difference  in  the  treat- 
ment of  the  settlers  is  possible,  and  it  arose  from  the 
imperfect  idea  the  Indians  had  of  the  relation  the 
Boston  men  bore  to  each  other.  Being  divided  up 
into  tribes,  more  or  less  hostile  to  each  other,  they 
naturally  supposed  the  whites  to  also  be  in  the  same 
manner  distinct  tribes.  In  this  idea  they  were  con- 
firmed by  the  fact  that  Oregon  and  California  had 
different  governments  and  the  residents  were  spoken 
of  as  Oregonians  and  Californians,  seeming  to  have 
interests  somewhat  at  variance.  With  the  Cali- 
fornia men  they  had  made  treaties,  with  them  they 
had  fought  more  or  less  and  been  whipped.  The 
stock-men  had  demonstrated  time  and  again  that 
they  were  not  afraid  of  them,  and  had  in  this  way 
won  their  respect.  Indians  wei*e  not  allowed  in  the 
cabin  or  to  hang  around  the  premises  unless  required 
for  some  purpose.  They  were  occasionally  employed 
in  odd  jobs  and  always  paid.  As  the  Lost  river 
settlers  were  supposed  to  belong  to  a  different  tribe 
they  did  not  reap  the  benefit  of  the  fear  the  Indians 
entertained  for  the  stock-men.  Again,  some  of 
them  were  but  late  comers  and  did  not  know  how 
to  treat  the  Indians.  They  were  afraid  of  them, 
the  more  so  because  their  wives  and  children  were 
with  them,  and  in  case  of  trouble  would  be  at  the 
mercy  of  the  savages.  Being  in  this  state  of  mind, 
if  one  Indian  came  along  they  would  probably 
swear  at  him  and  order  him  to  leave,  but  if  half  a 
dozen  should  appear  with  their  guns,  their  conduct 
would  be  much  different.  They  would  ask  them  in, 
give  them  something  to  eat,  and  treat  them  with 
great  hospitality,  and  then,  when  their  visitors  had 


departed,  would  tell  how  they  had  been  compelled 
to  give  food  to  the  Indians.  The  red  men  wei-e  not 
slow  to  comprehend  the  situation  and  take  advan- 
tage of  it.  The  consequence  was  that,  although 
they  never  went  around  levying  toll  upon  the  set- 
tlers, yet  the  latter  were  led  by  their  fears  to  think 
they  did  so,  and  in  such  a  state  of  mind  it  is  no 
wonder  that  the  appearance  of  a  band  of  armed 
Indians  should  frighten  the  women  and  children 
and  make  the  settlers  uneasy.  The  Indians  were 
lazy  and  would  not  work.  When  provisions  ran 
low,  when  fish  and  game  could  not  be  procured  in 
sufficient  quantities,  they  would  kill  a  beeve,  the 
stock-men  being  the  principal  losers  and  making  no 
complaint.  Captain  Jack  and  his  band  lived  quietly 
at  their  camp  on  Lost  river,  and  although  harmless 
were  no  doubt  unpleasant  neighbors  to  have. 

On  the  sixth  of  July,  1872,  Col.  Elmer  Otis,  Ivan 
D.  Applegate,  L.  S.  Dyar,  Indian  agent  at  Klamath 
reservation  and  T.  B.  Odeneal,  superintendent  of 
Indian  affairs,  petitioned  the  commissioner  of  Indian 
affairs  at  Washington  to  have  the  Indians  removed 
to  the  reservation.  In  due  time  Superintendent 
Odeneal  received  authority  to  effect  the  removal, 
peaceably  if  he  could,  forcibly  if  he  must.  On  the 
twenty-fifth  of  November  he  sent  I.  D.  Applegate 
and  James  Brown  to  the  camp  on  Tule  lake,  to 
request  the  head  men  to  meet  him  at  Linkville  on 
the  twenty-eighth.  They  declined  the  invitation. 
He  at  once  repaired  to  Fort  Klamath  and  placed 
the  matter  in  the  hands  of  the  military.  Captain 
Jackson  immediately  started  for  the  Indian  camp 
with  Company  B,  First  Cavalry,  thirty-five  men. 
He  marched  all  night  and  reached  the  camp  at  day- 
light on  the  morning  of  the  twenty-ninth.  Jack's 
camp  was  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  near  Tule 
lake,  at  what  is  called  the  natural  bridge.  On  the 
east  side  of  the  river  was  another  small  camp  in 
which  were  Hooka  Jim,  Curley- Headed  Doctor,  Long 
Jim  and  nine  other  braves,  these  three  being  the 
head  men.  To  this  camp  went  Oliver  Applegate, 
George  Fiock  and  seven  or  eight  settlers,  while  Ivan 
Applegate  and  James  Brown  accompanied  the  soldiers 
to  the  main  camp.  When  the  troops  arrived  at 
Jack's  place  the  only  Indian  seen  stirring  was  Bogus 
Charley,  who  was  visiting  there,  his  home  being  in 
this  county.  Captain  Jackson's  appearance  was  a 
great  surprise  to  him,  and  the  object  of  his  coming 
was  unknown. 

"  Where  is  Captain  Jack  ?"  asked  the  officer. 

"  In  his  tent." 

"  I  want  to  see  him." 

"  What  for  ?" 

"  I  have  an  order  for  his  arrest." 

"  What  you  want  him  for  ?" 

"  That  makes  no  difference;  show  me  his  tent." 

Scarface  Charley,  who  had  been  down  by  the  river 
with  the  intention  of  duck  hunting,  heard  the  voices 
and  came  up  to  see  what  the  trouble  was,  having 
his  gun  in  his  hand. 

"  What  the  matter  ?"  he  asked. 

"Disarm  that  Indian,"  said  Captain  Jackson,  turn- 
ing to  Lieutenant  Boutelle. 

The  Lieutenant  stepped  forward  and  said:  "  Give 
me  your  gun." 

"'  What  for  I  give  you  my  gun  ?" 

The  officers  still   persisted  in  carrying  out  their 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


147 


military  methods,  and  would  not  inform  the  Indian 
why  they  were  there  and  why  they  wanted  to  dis- 
arm him.  Charley  still  refused  to  surrender  his 
weapon,  and  Bou telle  drew  his  revolver,  cocked  it 
and  aimed  it  at  the  Indian,  repeating  his  demand 
for  the  gun.  Charley  also  cocked  his  weapon  and 
watched  the  officer's  hand.  When  he  saw  Boutelle's 
finger  press  the  trigger,  he  dropped  to  the  ground, 
firing  his  gun  as  he  fell,  rolled  rapidly  down  the  hill 
to  the  river,  shouting  at  the  same  time  to  Captain 
Jack  to  fly,  as  the  soldiers  had  come  to  kill  him. 
The  soldiers  also  fired  a  volley  at  Charley  as  he  fell, 
and  it  was  supposed  for  some  time  that  they  had 
killed  him.  The  camp  bow  was  in  great  uproar  and 
confusion.  The  warriors  wakened  from  their  sleep 
by  the  sound  of  firing,  seized  their  guns  and  sought 
sheltered  places  from  which  to  fight,  while  the 
women  and  children  fled  for  safety  or  fell  prone 
upon  the  ground  to  avoid  the  flying  bullets.  At  the 
time  the  shooting  commenced  Captain  Jack  was  just 
issuing  from  his  lodge,  unarmed,  and  with  a  blanket 
thrown  loosely  about  his  shoulders.  No  sooner  did 
he  hear  the  discharge  of  fire-arms  and  the  warning 
words  of  Scarface  than  he  drew  the  blanket  over  his 
head  and  squatted  upon  the  ground.  There  he 
remained  during  the  fight,  being  mistaken  for  a 
squaw  by  the  soldiers.  The  fighting  continued  for 
some  two  hours,  the  Indians  finally  effecting  their 
retreat  with  their  families,  having  lost  two  warriors, 
a  squaw  and  a  half-breed  girl  nine  years  old.  One 
of  Jackson's  men  was  killed  and  four  were  wounded, 
some  of  which  afterwards  died. 

While  the  battle  was  raging  here,  a  terrible  trag- 
edy was  being  enacted  on  the  other  side  of  the  river. 
The  settlers  who  had  gone  to  the  camp  of  Hooka 
Jim  and  Curley-Headed  Doctor,  met  first  an  Indian 
called  Miller's  Charley.  He  was  told  that  they  had 
come  to  take  him  and  the  others  to  the  reservation, 
and  that  they  would  not  be  harmed.  Upon  this 
assurance  he  surrendered  his  gun,  but  had  hardly 
done  so  when  the  sound  of  shooting  and  the  yells  of 
Indians  were  borne  across  the  river  from  the  other 
camp.  The  Indians  rushed  out,  and  in  the  confusion 
both  parties  commenced  shooting,  Miller's  Charley 
being  wounded,  and  One-Eyed  Watchman  killed. 
The  warriors  clashed  for  cover  from  which  to  fight, 
while  the  squaws  sought  safety  in  flight,  or  remained 
prostrate  in  their  tents.  One  of  the  squaws  rushed 
out  with  her  baby  in  her  arms,  and  what  was  evi- 
dently a  stray  bullet  cut  its  slender  cord  of  life. 
Not  knowing  her  baby  was  dead,  and  still  clasping 
it  in  her  arms,  she  mounted  a  horse,  exclaiming, 
"Don't  shoot,  me  squaw,  me  squaw!"  They  did 
shoot,  and  she  was  wounded  in  the  ankle,  falling 
from  her  horse. 

Maddened  by  this  apparently  wanton  attack  and 
slaughter,  Hooka  Jim,  who  had  the  most  cruel  and 
blood-thirsty  disposition  of  them  all,  persuaded  the 
others  to  go  with  him  and  take  revenge  on  the 
settlers.  One  of  the  attacking  party,  John  Thur- 
ber,  known  as  "  Jack  of  Clubs,"  was  killed  while 
walking  about  the  camp  after  he  supposed  the  fight 
was  over.  Hooka  Jim's  band  hastened  to  the  settle- 
ments along  the  river,  bent  upon  murdering  all  they 
saw;  and  now  commenced  a  scene  of  carnage  and 
massacre.  The  settlers  had  been  promised  that  they 
would  be  notified  in  case  any  action  was  taken  that 


might  lead  to  trouble  with  the  Indiansj  but  the 
promise  was  not  fulfilled.  After  the  battle  com- 
menced Brown  was  sent  on  this  mission,  but  the 
time  was  too  short,  and  he  could  not  reach  all,  many 
falling  victims  to  this  almost  criminal  procrastina- 
tion. 

The  Indians  first  met  William  Neese  and  Joseph 
Penning,  who  were  riding  along  the  road  uncon- 
scious of  danger.  They  wei'e  both  shot,  Neese  being 
killed  and  Penning  severely  wounded.  Mr.  Broth- 
erton  and  his  two  sons  were  next  killed,  while  the 
mother  with  her  two  younger  sons  barricaded  the 
house  and  successfully  defended  it,  being  rescued  two 
days  later.  Hendrick  Miller  and  his  hired  man 
were  killed,  also  John  Schroeder.  Mrs.  Boddy  and 
her  three  sons  were  killed,  while  the  wives  of  two 
of  them  escaped  by  walking  nine  miles,  scantily 
clothed,  and  sleeping  upon  the  cold  ground.  In  all 
there  were  fourteen  settlers  killed  before  armed 
parties  could  protect  them  and  compel  the  Indians 
to  seek  safety  in  flight. 

They  made  their  way  to  the  lava  beds  at  the 
south  end  of  Tule  lake,  whither  Captain  Jack  and 
his  band  had  already  retreated.  In  order  to  com- 
prehend fully  the  events  which  transpired  during 
the  next  six  months,  it  is  necessary  to  have  a  good 
idea  of  the  nature  and  formation  of  this  rocky  fast- 
ness. This  is  a  mass  of  rocks  some  ten  miles  square, 
cut  up  with  fissures,  deep  gulches,  and  high  and 
abrupt  cliffs,  abounding  in  caves  and  almost  untrav- 
ersable  save  by  those  well  acquainted  with  the  trails 
and  passages.  Troops  in  here  were  as  much  lost  as 
though  in  a  jungle,  while  the  Indians,  familiar  with 
all  the  secret  passes  and  caves,  could  flit  about  from 
place  to  place,  and  pick  off  the  unwary  intruder  in 
perfect  security.  The  description  given  by  Jesse 
Applegate,  one  of  the  first  peace  commissioners, 
cannot  be  improved  upon  : — 

The  stronghold  of  the  Modocs  is  an  irregular  volcanic  surface 
of  basalt,  trachyte,  etc.,  more  or  less  broken  into  upheavals  from 
below,  and  cracked  and 'fissured  in  the  process  of  cooling.  It 
occupies,  with  but  few  intervals,  nearly  one  hundred  square 
miles.  If  you  can,  imagine  a  smooth,  solid  sheet  of  granite,  ten 
miles  square  and  five  hundred  feet  thick,  covering  resistless  mines 
of  gunpowder,  scattered  at  irregular  intervals  under  it;  that 
these  mines  are  exploded  simultaneously,  rending  the  whole 
field  into  rectangular  masses,  from  the  size  of  a  match  box  to 
that  of  a  church,  heaping  these  masses  high  in  some  places,  and 
leaving  deep  chasms  in  others.  Following  the  explosion,  the 
whole  thing  is  placed  in  one  of  Vulcan's  crucibles,  and  heated  up 
to  a  point  when  the  whole  begins  to  fuse  and  run  together,  and 
then  suffered  to  cool.  The  roughness  of  the  surface  remains  as 
the  explosion  left  it,  while  all  below  is  honeycombed  by  the 
cracks  and  crevices  caused  by  the  cooling  of  the  melted  rock. 
An  Indian  can,  from  the  top  of  one  of  these  stone  pyramids, 
shoot  a  man  without  exposing  even  so  much  as  an  inch  square  of 
himself.  He  can,  without  undue  haste,  load  and  shoot  a  common 
muzzle-loading  rifle  ten  times,  before  a  man  can  scramble  ever 
the  rocks  and  chasms  between  the  slain  and  the  slayer.  If  at 
this  terrible  expense  of  life,  a  force  dislodges  him  from  his  cover, 
he  has  only  to  drop  into  and  follow  some  subterraneous  passage 
with  which  he  is  familiar,  to  gain  another  ambush,  from  which 
it  will  cost  ten  more  lives  to  dislodge  him,  and  so  on  adinfinitum. 

From  the  high  rocks  in  this  great  fortress  of 
nature,  the  Indians  could  observe  the  movements  of 
the  troops  five  miles  away,  without  being  themselves 
seen.  In  this  way,  during  the  whole  campaign,  they 
were  enabled  to  inform  themselves  of  every  maneu- 
ver, or  change  of  plan  of  operations  by  the  soldiers, 
while  they  moved  in  perfect  secrecy,  appearing  unex- 
pectedly in  many  places,  moving  rapidly  from  point 
to  point,  ready  to  take  advantage  of  any  careless- 


148 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


ness  or  exposure  by  their  enemies.  Added  to  this 
was  the  fact  that  they  were  nearly  all  armed  with 
breech-loading  rifles,  and  had  a  large  supply  of 
metallic  cartridges.  All  these,  and  the  additional 
fact  that  they  were  firmly  convinced  that  their  lib- 
erty and  even  their  lives  were  at  stake,  must  be 
borne  constantly  in  mind  when  considering  the  events 
of  this  unparalleled  campaign. 

All  was  confusion  and  anxiety  along  Lost  river 
and  at  Linkville.  The  settlers  hastened  to  places  of 
safety  in  all  directions,  some  going  to  Linkville,  some 
to  Alturas,  and  others  to  various  places.  No  one 
felt  secure  within  a  radius  of  fifty  miles.  Fourteen 
people  had  been  cruelly  murdered,  and  the  murderers 
were  still  at  large,  no  one  knew  where.  They  were 
liable  to  appear  at  any  point  and  wreak  vengeance 
on  the  unprotected  heads  of  lone  settlers.  If  their 
whereabouts  was  only  known,  so  that  the  troops 
could  watch  them,  there  would  be  a  measure  of 
security,  but  the  dreadful  uncertainty  was  the  most 
anxious  feature  of  all.  Their  retreat  in  the  lava 
beds  was  discovered  in  the  following  manner: — 

On  the  night  before  the  attack  on  the  Indian 
camps,  Samuel  Watson  stayed  at  Fairchilds'  ranch 
at  the  lower  end  of  Klamath  lake.  The  next  morn- 
ing he  pursued  his  journey  towards  Lost  river,  and 
wlien  near  that  stream  was  met  by  Scarface  Charley 
and  Bogus  Charley.  They  informed  him  of  the 
fight,  and  advised  him  to  return,  saying  that 
some  of  the  other  Indians  who  were  not  acquainted 
with  him  would  be  sure  to  kill  him.  This 
seemed  to  be  good  advice,  and  he  acted  upon  it. 
Arriving  again  at  Fairchilds'  that  night  he  imparted 
his  startling  intelligence.  This  created  great  uneas- 
iness at  the  ranch,  for  the  agents  had  promised  to 
warn  them  in  case  of  trouble,  and  now  a  battle  had 
taken  place  without  their  knowledge.  The  Hot 
Creek  Modocs  lived  near  the  ranch,  and  had  they 
received  the  first  intelligence  of  hostilities,  could 
have  committed  many  depredations.  Besides  this, 
thousands  of  cattle  were  roaming  the  valleys  and 
hills,  which  the  Indians  could  destroy  or  scatter 
so  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  recover  them. 

Fairchilds  descried  an  Indian  in  the  distance,  rid- 
ing like  mad  towards  the  camp,  and  he  pointed  to 
him,  saying  to  some  Indian  boys,  "There  comes  an 
Indian  with  the  news,  you  run  down  to  camp 
before  he  gets  there,  and  tell  them  that  Captain 
Jack  and  tne  soldiers  have  had  a  fight,  and  I  want 
them  to  come  up  here  and  tell  me  what  they  know 
about  it."  Away  ran  the  boys  and  reached  the 
camp  at  the  same  time  the  messenger  rode  up  with 
his  startling  intelligence,  and  soon  several  excited 
Indians  hastened  to  the  ranch.  They  knew  nothing 
of  the  cause  of  the  trouble,  and  wanted  Fairchilds  to 
explain.  They  looked  upon  him  as  a  great  Tyee,  who 
knew  all  the  plans  of  the  whites,  and  he  had  a  hard 
time  convincing  them  that  he  was  as  ignorant  as 
they  of  the  cause  of  the  recent  unpleasantness  on 
Lost  river.  An  agreement  was  made  that  the  Hot 
Creek  band  would  remain  peaceable,  for  the  present 
at  hast,  and  in  case  a  war  followed  and  they  joined 
the  hostiles,  they  would  not  molest  the  settlers. 
This  having  been  done,  Fairchilds  and  Nate  Beswick, 
accompanied  by  Shacknasty  Jim  and  another  Indian, 
started  for  Lo>t  river  on  a  tour  of  observation,  hav- 
ing first  sent  word  through  the  valley  that  there  was 


trouble  with   the   Modocs,  and  that  the  Hot  Creek 
band  had  agreed  to  remain  peaceable. 

When  they  arrived  at  Jack's  camp  abundant  evi- 
dences of  a  battle  were  found  on  every  hand,  but 
not  a  human  being  could  be  seen.  All  the  boats  had 
been  destroyed,  and  they  were  thus  unable  to  cross 
the  river.  Going  along  the  bank  they  heard  voicqs 
on  the  opposite  side,  and  called  out,  but  received  no 
answer.  The  two  Indians  being  seen  on  the  bank 
gave  rise  to  the  story  that  the  Indians  had  returned 
the  day  after  the  light,  and  yelled  at  the  people 
from  across  the  river,  a  belief  that  had  largely  served 
to  create  the  anxiety  and  fear  of  another  raid  which 
all  the  settlers  felt. 

Upon  their  return  to  the  ranch  they  learned  that 
the  Indians  had  been  informed  of  Captain  Jack's 
lurking  place.  A  few  days  later,  Fairchilds,  Dorris, 
Beswick,  and  Murray,  accompanied  by  the  two 
Indians,  paid  Jack  a  visit  in  his  stronghold.  They 
found  him  occupying  a  cave  in  the  rocks,  about  two 
hundred  yards  from  the  lake.  This  was  so  walled 
in  by  rocks,  chasms,  and  precipitous  bluffs,  and  so 
accessible  to  water,  that  it  was  the  best  spot  in  the 
whole  lava  region  to  withstand  a  long  siege,  and 
make  a  good  defense.  They  spent  the  night  in  the 
cave,  and  had  a  long  talk  with  Jack  and  others 
about  their  difficulty  with  the  troops.  Jack  said 
he  was  ignorant  of  the  reason  why  the  soldiers  had 
attacked  his  camp;  that  he  had  clone  nothing,  and 
could  not  undei  stand  why  the  soldiers  should  cnme 
and  fight  him;  that  he  had  murdered  no  settlers, 
but  that  the  killing  had  been  done  by  Hooka  Jim 
and  the  band  across  the  river,  in  revenge  for  the 
death  of  his  baby;  that  he  had  had  many  oppor- 
tunities to  kill  Boston  men  if  he  had  so  desired,  but 
that  he  only  wanted  to  fight  soldiers;  he  did  not 
want  to  fight  at  all,  but  if  the  soldiers  came  to  the 
lava  beds  after  him,  he  would  fight  them;  that  he 
would  not  go  to  Yainox,  but  wanted  to  live  at  his 
home  on  Lost  river  in  peace.  In  his  treaty  with 
Fairchilds,  Jack  had  reserved  the  Lost  River  camp 
for  a  residence,  considering  that  he  had  sold  the 
balance  of  the  country  to  the  stock-men.  He  main- 
tained until  the  time  of  his  death,  that  in  the  treaty 
of  1864  with  the  government,  he  had  not  agreed  to 
abandon  Lost  river;  and  if  the  treaty  said  he  must 
go  to  the  reservation,  he  had  been  deceived  when  it 
was  made.  He  requested  Fairchilds  and  Dorris  to 
go  to  the  so'diers,  and  tell  them  not  to  come  where 
he  was  or  he  would  fight  them.  When  the  two 
embassadors  arrived  at  the  camp  of  the  troops,  they 
found  there  three  companies  of  regulars,  two  having 
come  in  haste  from  Camp  Warner,  also  two  com- 
panies of  volunteers  from  Rogue  River  valley  and 
Linkville,  and  a  number  of  Klamath  or  La  Lake 
Indians.  The  volunteers,  some  sixty  in  all,  were 
commanded  by  Captains  Kelley  and  Heiser,  acting 
under  the  orders  of  General  Ross,  in  command  of 
the  Oregon  militia,  who  was  present.  The  location 
of  Jack's  camp  was  still  unknown  to  the  troops, 
and  soon  after  their  arrival  at  headquarters,  they 
observed  that  details  were  being  made  for  scout 
duty.  Knowing  that  this  would  result  in  a  con- 
flict and  the  death  of  many  of  the  troops,  the  two 
messengers  concluded  that  the  time  had  come  for 
them  to  speak.  Fairchilds  addressed  Captain  Jack- 
son, and  said  he  had  a  message  from  Captain  Jack. 


V^r    J&LQA/TjAsb^^--^ 


WILLIAM  DAVIDSON. 

William  Davidson  is  a  son  of  James  and  Orpha 
(Wells)  Davidson,  and  was  born  near  Wheeling, 
West  Virginia,  November  30,  1826.  His  parents 
moved  to  Ohio  and  later  to  Indiana,  settling  near 
La  Fayette.  In  1S50  he  crossed  the  plains  to  Shasta 
county,  and  in  1851  went  to  Yreka.  That  winter 
he  mined  on  Humbug,  being  one  of  the  first  in  that 
district.  In  the  fall  of  1852  he  went  to  Deadwood 
with  the  first  discovery  of  gold  there,  where  he  mined 
with  good  success.  He  was  also  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising at  the  same  place.  In  company  with  his 
brother,  Dr.  D.  M.  Davidson,  in  the  fall  of  1852  he 
settled  on  a  ranch  near  Fort  Jones,  still  keeping  his 
store  at  Deadwood.  He  commenced  a  butchering 
business,  and  during  the  hard  times  of  that  memor- 
able winter  of  1852-53  had  a  contract  to  supply 
meat  at  Fort  Jones  for  forty  cents  per  pound.  He 
was  married  in  February,  1853,  and  moved  to  Scott 
valley  and  commenced  farming.  December  3,  1853, 
his  first  son,  James  M.,  was  born,  the  first  white 
child  born  in  Scott  valley.  Mr.  Davidson  sold  part 
of  his  first  crop  for  fifteen  dollars  per  bushel.  In 
1854,  in  company  with  D.  M.  Davidson  and  Charles 


McDermit,  he  built  the  old  iEtna  mills  at  a  cost 
of  $35,000.  He  moved  to  old  Etna  the  same  fall, 
opened  a  store  and  built  the  Etna  Hotel.  In  1857 
he  built  at  that  place  the  Scott  Valley  distillery,  in 
company  with  his  brothers,  and  was  engaged  in 
milling  and  distilling  until  1870.  He  went  to  the 
northern  mines  in  Idaho,  but  returned  after  a  year's 
absence.  In  1870  he  engaged  in  the  cattle  business 
in  Shasta  county,  and  in  1872  removed  to  Fall  River 
valley,  where  he  still  resides.  Mr.  Davidson  has 
always  been  a  firm  Democrat,  and  taken  a  promi- 
nent part  in  political  affairs,  and  is  now  serving  his 
second  term  as  supervisor  of  Shasta  county.  He 
was  once  the  Democratic  candidate  for  sheriff  of 
Siskiyou  county,  but  was  defeated  by  the  soldier 
vote.  Mr.  Davidson  had  four  children,  two  of  whom, 
James  M.  and  Narcissa,  are  still  living.  James  was 
educated  at  the  State  University,  and  is  now  Deputy 
United  States  Mineral  Surveyor,  and  resides  at 
Yreka.  At  a  reunion  of  the  Davidson  family  at 
the  residence  of  I.  S.  Mathews,  at  Fort  Jones,  on  the 
seventy-second  birthday  of  Mrs.  Orpha  Davidson, 
there  were  present  forty-five  members  from  Scott 
valley  alone. 


o 

a: 


I 

u_ 
o 

cs 

1". 

—  </] 
=>  u 

m  | 
tfe 

< 

Q 

< 

UJ 

Li 


O 
CO 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


I  I.'. i 


The  officers  were  quickly  collected  in  a  tent  and 
Fairchilds  delivered  the  message  briefly.  "  There 
is  no  use  of  your  sending  scouts  out  to  hunt  up 
Captain  Jack,  for  I  can  tell  you  just  where  he  is." 
The  position  of  the  cave  in  the  lava  beds  was  then 
described,  and  he  remarked  in  closing,  "  you  had 
better  keep  away  from  there  or  you  will  get  hurt; 
he  says  that  if  you  go  there  he  will  fight  you,  and 
he  means  business." 

The  officers  laughed,  and  asked  how  many  Indians 
there  were. 

"  About  forty-five  including  old  men  and  boys." 

"  How  many  men  do  you  suppose  we  have  ?  they 
asked  with  a  smile. 

"  I  don't  know,  perhaps  a  hundred  and  fifty." 

"  Well,  we  have  over  two  hundred." 

"It  don't  make  any  difference,  you  can't  drive 
them  out  with  less  than  five  hundred  men,  and  if 
you  go  in  there,  its  my  opinion  they'll  walk  your 

log-"  .  .   <£.!■ 

A  few  days  after  this  conversation,  Colonel  Frank 
Wheatun,  of  the  Seeondr  Infantry,  arrived  and  as- 
sumed command.  Headquarters  were  moved  to 
Van  Brimer's  ranch,  on  the  east  side  of  Klamath 
lake  and  near,  the  lava  beds.  The  Klamath  Indians 
were  sent  back  to  the  reservation,  as  the  soldiers 
had  little  confidence  in  them,  and  Captain  Jack 
claimed  that  they  were  committing  depredations 
and  charging  them  to  the  Modocs. 

Great  preparations  were  now  made  to  expel  Cap- 
tain Jack  from  his  stronghold  among  the  rocks.  By 
request  of  Colonel  Wheaton  a  company  of  volunteers 
Was  raised,  chiefly  of  settlers,  vaqueros  and  a  few 
from  Yreka.  The  company  numbei'ed  twenty-six 
men  and  elected  John  A.  Fairchilds  captain,  and 
George  Roberts,  lieutenant.  The  Indians  drove  a 
good  many  cattle  and  horses  into  the  lava  beds, 
the  former  of  which  they  killed,  drying  the  meat 
for  future  use.  They  also  busied  themselves  in 
strengthening  their  almost  impregnable  fortress.  The 
anxiety  to  find  them  being  over,  a  new  fear  that 
they  would  break  out  from  their  rocky  retreat,  and 
lay  waste  the  country  with  tire  and  gun  took  its 
place.  Alturas,  Linkville,  Ashland,  Jacksonville 
and  Yreka  were  all  in  daily  expectation  of  the  ap- 
pearance of  these  half  hundred  warriors  to  sack  and 
burn  the  town.  The  advent  of  Lee's  army  in 
Washington  was  no  more  feared  and  expected  than 
was  the  appearance  of  Captain  Jack's  spartan  band 
in  the  streets  of  Yreka.  The  fear  also  that  other 
Indians  would  become  hostile  added  to  the  general 
uneasiness.  Shot-guns,  rifles  and  revolvers  were 
inspected  and  placed  on  a  war  footing.  He  who 
hail  none  borrowed  of  his  neighbor  who  had  two, 
and  when  Governor  Booth  sent  up  fifty  old  muskets, 
to  be  used  in  the  protection  of  settlers,  twenty  were 
sent  to  the  front,  where  the  Indians  were,  and  thirty 
were  kept  in  the  town,  where  the  Indians  were  not 
and  were  not  fools  enough  to  come.  It  was  probably 
all  for  the  best,  for  these  guns  were  suffering  from  a 
severe  attack  of  antiquity. 

And  still  the  war  went  on.  Troops  continued  to 
arrive  until  there  were  over  two  hundred  and  fifty 
regulars  in  the  field.  Several  guns  and  three  hun- 
dred  shells  were  received  from  Fort  Vancouver,  and 
two  guns  were  forwarded  from  Camp  Bidwell.  Cap- 
tain Barnard  was  stationed  with  a  detachment  on  the 


east  side  of  the  lava  beds,  the  soldiers  being  thus  on 
both  sides  of  the  hostiles.  Quite  a  force  had  to  be 
maintained  at  Fort  Klamath,  so  great  was  thtv fear 
that  the  Modocs,  Snakes  and  Klamaths  there  would 
become  turbulent.  The  Piutes  and  Pit  River 
Indians  were  carefully  watched,  to  guard  against  any 
outbreak  by  them.  Colonel  Wheaton  did  not  want 
to  risk  a  battle  until  there  was  almost  a  certainty 
of  success,  as  a  victory  by  the  Modocs  would  serve 
but  to  increase  the  uneasiness  of  the  other  Indians, 
and  might  lead  to  a  general  outbreak. 

The  first  hostilities  in  the  lava  beds  occurred  on 
the  twenty  first  of  December.  A  wagon  of  supplies 
from  Camp  Bidwell,  escorted  by  six  soldiers,  was 
sent  along  the  Tickner  road  to  Barnard's  camp. 
When  near  its  destination  it  was  attacked  by  the 
Indians,  who  had  been  closely  watching  the  camp 
for  the  purpose  of  picking  off  stragglers.  Captain 
Barnard  came  to  the  rescue  with  his  company  and 
saved  the  wagons,  although  one  soldier  was  killed 
and  scalped  and  three  were  wounded,  one  of  whom 
died.  An  Indian  named  Steve  was  killed  in  this 
fight. 

All  the  preparations  having  been  carefully  made, 
a  grand  assault  was  ordered  for  Friday,  January  17, 
1873,  by  which  it  was  expected  to  end  the  war  with 
one  hard  blow.  The  plan  of  attack  was  to  have 
Captain  Barnard  advance  on  the  east  and  form  a 
junction  with  the  right  wing  of  the  main  body  on  the 
south  of  the  stronghold.  The  right  wing  was  com- 
posed of  the  Oregon  volunteers,  the  center  of  regu- 
lars, under  Captains  Perry  and  Mason,  and  on  the 
left  was  Fairchilds'  company.  When  this  junction 
was  formed  there  would  be  a  line  of  troops  on  the 
east,  south  and  west,  while  the  lake  would  form  the 
fourth  side.  They  were  then  to  close  in  upon 
the  Indians  and  take  them  like  a  fish  in  a  net. 
Captain  Barnard  advanced  on  the  east,  Thursday, 
to  within  two  miles  of  the  cave,  losing  several  killed 
and  wounded,  among  the  latter  being  Lieutenant 
Kyle.  One  Indian  was  wounded,  Old  Shacknasty's 
Man.  Friday  morning  dawned  with  a  thick  bank 
of  fog  hanging  over  the  ground,  that  would  have 
induced  Colonel  Wheaton  to  postpone  the  assault, 
had  he  been  able  to  communicate  with  Captain  Bar- 
nard. Not  being  able  to  do  this  he  ordered  an 
advance.  The  dense  fog  not  only  prevented  them  from 
seeing  the  enemy,  but  also  from  properly  co-operat- 
ing with  and  supporting  each  other.  The  advance 
was  opposed  at  every  point  by  a  hidden  and  unseen 
foe.  The  troops  charged  over  several  almost  inac- 
cessible places,  meeting  a  shower  of  bullets,  but  find- 
ing no  enemy.  So  rapidly  did  the  Indians  change 
their  positions  and  so  incessant  a  fire  did  they  main- 
tain, although  there  were  but  about  twenty  good 
warriors  there  seemed  to  be  many  times  that  num- 
ber. For  a  long  time  the  troops  fought  their 
unseen  foe,  losing  many  in  killed  and  wounded,  with- 
out being  able  to  inflict  any  injury  upon  the  enemy. 
Failing  to  join  the  two  commands  on  the  south,  it 
was  determined  to  pass  around  the  bluff  on  the  lake 
shore  and  join  Barnard  in  that  direction.  This 
movement  was  effected  after  tin-  most  severe  fighting 
of  the  day.  The  lo3s  during  the  day  was  ten  killed 
and  thirty  wounded.  Captain  Perry  was  wounded. 
Two  of  the  killed  were  Oregon  volunteers,  while 
four  of  the  wounded,  some  of  whom  died,  belonged 


150 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


to  Fairchilds'  company,  and  were  George  Roberts, 
Nate  Beswick,  Jerry  Crooks  and  Judson  Small.  It 
was  afterwards  known  that  not  any  damage  what- 
ever was  inflicted  upon  the  Indians,  who  as  fruits  of 
their  victoiy  secured  the  guns  and  ammunition  of 
the  slain.  After  this  defeat,  for  such  it  really  was, 
the  troops  withdrew  to  their  original  positions. 
Whatever  had  been  their  opinion  of  the  fighting 
qualities  of  the  Modocs,  they  were  now  convinced 
that  they  had  caught  a  tartar.  The  strength  of  the 
position  and  the  ability  of  the  Indians  to  defend  it 
were  more  fully  apparent  than  ever  before.  The 
news  spread  consternation  for  fifty  miles  around. 
Each  dusky  warrior  became  an  invincible  host  in 
the  imagination  of  the  people,  and  as  their  opinion  of 
the  Indian  prowess  ascended,  in  the  same  ratio  did 
their  estimation  of  the  ability  of  the  military  to 
cope  with  them  descend.  Wild  rumors  of  hundreds 
of  disaffected  Snakes,  Piutes  and  Pit  River  Indians 
flocking  to  Jack's  standard  filled  the  air. 

It  was  supposed  that  there  were  more  Indians  in 
this  fight  than  had  been  known  to  be  with  Jack. 
It  was  afterwards  ascertained  that  the  enemy  had 
placed  great  numbers  of  blocks  of  volcanic  scoria  on 
the  edge  of  the  rocks.  These  were  dark  colored  and 
about  the  size  of  a  human  head,  and  at  a  short  dis- 
tance closely  resembled  the  head  of  an  Indian  peep- 
ing around  a  pile  of  rocks.  It  was  even  declared 
that  there  were  two  hundred  warriors  engaged  in 
the  last  battle,  and  it  was  expected  that  the  effect 
of  the  Modoc  victory  would  be  to  augment  Jack's 
force  to  a  small  army,  even  if  it  did  not  cause  a  gen- 
eral Indian  war. 

General  Canby,  who  in  the  absence  of  General 
McDowell  was  in  command  of  this  department,  sent 
Colonel  Gillem  to  the  field  to  supersede  Colonel 
Wheaton,  whose  only  fault  was  that  he  had  failed 
where  it  was  impossible  to  succeed.  More  troops 
were  forwarded,  and  mortars  for  the  purpose  of 
shelling  the  Indian  stronghold,  were  brought  with 

o  o  o 

great  difficulty  to  the  scene  of  action.  While  all 
these  preparations  were  being  made  the  beleaguered 
Modocs  were  not  idle. 

On  the  morning  of  January  23d,  they  suddenly 
attacked  an  escort  of  twenty-two  men  moving  two 
wagons  to  Barnard's  camp.  The  attack  was  made 
four  miles  from  the  camp  to  which  intelligence  was 
instantly  conveyed.  The  cavah-y  came  down  at  a 
gallop  and  crowded  the  Indians  so  hard  that  they 
abandoned  their  ponies  and  fled  into  the  mazes  of 
the  lava  beds  on  foot.  Forty-five  cayuse  ponies 
were  captured.  The  soldiers  suffered  no  loss,  but 
reported  one  Indian  killed  and  three  wounded, 
which  was  found  to  be  untrue.  One  advantage  the 
Modocs  had  in  all  their  conflicts  with  the  whites  was 
their  knowledge  of  the  English  language.  They 
could  hear  and  understand  all  the  orders  given  by 
the  officers,  and  could  thus  be  ready  to  oppose  any 
movement.  All  their  orders  or  information  shouted 
from  one  to  the  other,  and  they  kept  continually 
shouting  to  each  other,  were  given  in  the  Modoc 
tongue,  and  were  as  Greek  to  the  troops. 

The  evidences  of  a  long  campaign  were  now  plen- 
tiful, and  the  troops  settled  down  to  stay.  Many 
people  visited  the  front,  and  correspondents  were 
maintained  there  by  the  "leading  newspapers  of 
the  country.     Every  time  an  Indian  coughed  or  an 


officer  waxed  his  moustache  the  fact  was  telegraphed 
throughout  the  land,  and  appeared  in  the  papers  under 
enormous  head-lines.  The  people  read  the  exploits  of 
these  dusky  warriors  with  astonishment  bordering  on 
admiration.  They  thought  that  these  must  be  of 
no  common  clay  to  hold  the  flower  of  the  army  so 
long  at  bay.  The  situation  was  misapprehended  by 
all  not  familiar  with  the  place  and  the  people.  The 
Indians  occupied  a  natural  fortress  that  probably 
has  not  a  superior  in  the  world,  and  what  to  the 
soldiers  was  an  unknown  labyrinth,  to  them  was  as 
familiar  as  the  streets  of  a  city.  They  did  no  more 
than  any  half  hundred  determined  men  could  have 
done  in  the  same  situation.  It  seemed,  however, 
as  wonderful  as  the  exploits  of  the  knights  of  old, 
and  people  in  their  far-off  Eastern  homes,  I'ose  in  the 
morning  and  seized  the  paper  to  see  by  what  exploit 
the  Modocs  had  added  new  laurels  to  their  wreath 
since  last  they  read. 

To  the  front  came  also  many  who  were  seeking 
not  the  "  bauble  reputation,"  but  the  "  current  coin 
of  the  realm."  Stores  and  eating-houses  were 
established,  and  the  proprietors  reaped  a  rich  har- 
vest. For  them  the  war,  long  as  it  was,  ended  all 
too  soon,  and  they  were  left  to  wail  their  disappoint- 
ment. Supplies  for  them  and  the  troops  required 
many  teams  to  haul  them, ami  the  rates  of  freight  from 
Redding,  Yreka  and  Jacksonville  were  very  high. 
Fire-wood  sold  for  fifteen  dollars,  eggs  one  dollar  a 
dozen,  oysters  one  dollar  a  can,  tobacco  two  dollars 
a  pound,  whisky  twenty -five  cents  a  drink;  beef  and 
flour  were  plentiful  and  cheap. 

In  February  Donald  McKay,  a  half-breed  and  a 
practiced  seout,  and  fifty  Warm  Spring  Indians, 
from  the  Warm  Spring  reservation  in  Oregon,  were 
sent  for.  They  ha  1  rendered  good  service  in  Indian 
wars  farther  north,  and  could  be  depended  upon  to 
do  scout  duty  well  and  faithfully.  Three  boats 
were  built  on  Lost  river,  to  be  used  on  the  lake  to 
prevent  the  Indians  from  obtaining  water.  It  was 
thought  that  there  was  nothing  in  the  lava  beds  but 
snow  water,  and  in  this  way  they  could  prevent  the 
hostiles  from  procuring  enough  water  for  tJKrnselves 
and  stock.  _=.  ^ 

In  February,  the  government  appointed  a  peace 
commission  to  investigate  the  condition  and  com- 
plaints  of  the  Indians,  and  confer  with  the  hostiles 
about  a  settlement  of  the  present  difficulties.  The 
members  of  the  commission  wei'e  Jesse  Applegate, 
A.  B.  Meacham,  and  Samuel  Chase — all  connected 
with  the  Indian  department.  The  military  were 
instructed  to  suspend  hostilities  while  the  negotia- 
tions were  pending,  but  to  so  dispose  the  forces  as  to 
protect  the  settlers.  General  Canby  was  ordered  to 
go  to  the  front  with  the  commissioners,  and  take 
full  command  of  the  military,  Colonel  Gillem  com- 
manding under  him.  On  the  twentieth  of  February, 
the  commissioners  having  all  arrived  at  head- 
quarters, Bob  Whittle's  Modoc  wife,  Matilda,  and 
a  squaw  named  Artinie  were  sent  to  Jack's  camp  to 
arrange  for  a  conference.  The  following  day  they 
returned  with  a  report  that  there  were  but  forty- 
four  warriors  in  the  lava  beds.  Jack  sent  word  by 
them  that  he  was  glad  to  receive  a  message  from  the 
peace  commissioners.  He  complained  bitterly  of 
the  part  the  volunteers  had  taken  in  the  fight,  as  he 
only  wanted  to  fight  soldiers.     He  had  given  orders 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


151 


that  no  settlers  should  be  killed,  and  he  did  not 
think  they  had  any  right  to  help  the  soldiers  fight 
him.  He  said  he  did  not  want  to  talk  to  women, 
but  wanted  the  commissioners  to  pay  him  a  visit, 
and  they  would  not  be  harmed.  She  said  they  were 
Daked  and  cold,  and  nearly  out  of  provisions.  That 
there  was  dissension  in  their  midst,  some  wanting 
John  Schonchin  for  chief,  while  others  preferred  Jack. 

Whittle  and  wife  then  paid  Jack  a  visit,  who  said 
that  he  had  lost  but  three  braves  since  the  fight 
began,  and  suffered  no  loss  in  the  biff  fight  in  the 
lava  beds.  He  wanted  Judge  Steele,  Judge  Ros- 
borough  and  John  A.  Fairchilds  added  to  the  com- 
missioners, as  they  were  his  friends.  An  agreement 
was  made  to  hold  a  conference  on  the  twenty-fifth 
a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  lava  beds  where  there 
could  be  no  ambuscade.  General  Canby  telegraphed 
to  Washington,  and  Judge  A.  M.  Rosborough  was 
added  to  the  commission.  It  was  impossible  for 
Judge  Steele  to  be  there  at  the  time  appointed,  and 
so  on  the  twenty-fourth  Fairchilds,  Whittle,  Matilda, 
Indian  Dave,  and  Edward  Fox,  correspondent  of 
the  New  York  Herald,  Avent  to  the  cave  to  explain 
the  situation.  They  remained  all  night,  and  counted 
sixty  bucks  capable  of  bearing  arms.  Jack  said  he 
did  not  like  Meacham  and  Applegate,  and  wanted  to 
treat  with  Canby,  Fairchilds,  Steele,  and  Rosbo- 
rough — all  of  whom  he  considered  great  Tyees. 

When  Steele  and  Rosborough  arrived  in  camp, 
Steele,  Fairchilds,  Fox,  H.  W.  Atwell,  correspondent 
of  the  Sacramento  Record-  Union,  and  another 
reporter,  went  to  the  cave,  where  they  found  Jack 
sick.  They  talked  that  night  and  in  the  morning 
with  Jack  and  Schonchin,  who  made  bitter  com- 
plaints of  the  way  in  which  they  had  been  treated 
at  the  agency.  Steele  laid  before  them  the  terms 
offered  by  Canby,  which  were,  to  surrender  and  be 
removed  to  a  more  southern  and  warmer  locality 
and  be  provided  with  a  reservation  by  the  govern- 
ment. They  then  returned  to  headquarters  accom- 
panied by  Bogus  Charley,  Hooka  Jim,  Long  Jim, 
Boston  Charley,  Duffy,  Shacknasty  Jim,  Cuiiey- 
Headed  Jack,  and  William,  who  went  down  to  talk 
with  Colonel  Gillem  and  the  commissioners.  The 
visiting  Indians  returned  to  the  cave  on  Tuesday. 

Steele  and  the  reporters  again  went  to  the  cave 
and  returned  the  next  day  with  the  same  Indians 
to  make  final  arrangements  for  a  meeting  with  Gen- 
eral Canby  in  person.  The  Princess  Mary,  Jack's 
sister,  also  came  this  time.  They  said  that  Jack 
and  Schonchin  both  agreed  to  the  terms  offered  by 
Steele  and  were  sorry  they  would  have  to  leave 
their  country.  The  following  message  was  sent  by 
them  from  Canby  to  Jack  : — 

We  are  not  mad,  but  sorry.  Our  hearts  were  sad  because  you 
opened  your  hearts  to  your  enemies  and  closed  them  to  your 
friends.  I  want  Captain  Jack  and  all  who  can  to  come  here 
to-morrow.  I  will  have  tents,  food,  and  clothing  for  them.  It 
is  not  safe  for  Captain  Jack  to  go  to  Yainox,  for  bad  men  will 
kill  him.  I  will  send  to  Yainox  for  his  friends  and  have  them 
come  here.  All  his  people  at  Yainox  can  come,  and  all  who 
desire  can  go  to  the  new  country.  I  recognize  Captain  Jack  as 
chief,  and  want  him  to  come  here  so  that  I  may  treat  with  him 
and  arrange  particulars.  If  any  of  his  people  in  the  lava  beds 
are  sick  and  cannot  come,  I  will  send  a  wagon  for  them.  I  can- 
not send  the  soldiers  away.  They  are  his  best  friends  and  will 
not  hurt  him.  I  want  them  now,  if  they  mean  peace,  to  come 
out  with  clean  hands  to-morrow,  and  none  shall  be  hurt.  Cap- 
tain Jack  and  some  of  his  men  can  go  and  see  the  Great  Chief, 
and  look  at  the  country  he  will  give  them.     I  promise  this  for 


myself,   for  the   commissioners,   for  the   soldiers,   and   for  your 
friends  Judge  Rosborough  and  Squire  Steele. 

The  messengers  returned  the  next  day,  sayino- 
that  Jack  wanted  three  wagons  to  meet  him  at  two 
o'clock  Monday,  the  tenth,  at  the  Point  of  Rocks, 
twelve  miles  from  headcpiarters.  Early  Monday 
morning,  Steele  started  with  four  wagons  and  their 
teamsters,  for  the  place  of  rendezvous.  When  they 
ascended  a  ridge  two  miles  from  the  Point  of  Rocks, 
no  Indians  could  be  seen  at  the  appointed  place. 
This  was  suspicious.  If  they  were  there  in  good 
faith,  they  should  be  in  full  view  and  not  hidden. 
Steele  halted  the  wagons  and  rode  on  alone,  to  see 
if  the  Indians  were  in  ambush,  but  found  no  sicn 
of  them  for  two  miles  beyond  the  point.  He 
returned  to  the  wagons  and  endeavored  to  persuade 
the  teamsters  to  go  on  to  the  lake,  but  all  but  one, 
David  Horn,  refused  to  proceed.  About  this  time 
an  object  was  descried  moving  beyond  the  point, 
and  Steele  again  rode  on  to  investigate.  He  found 
it  to  be  a  man  named  Louis  Land,  from  upper 
Oregon,  who  was  journeying  through  the  country, 
and  was  unaware  of  any  trouble.  He  said  that  he 
had  seen  no  Indians,  and  when  informed  of  recent 
events,  thanked  his  lucky  stars  that  he  had  seen 
none.  As  it  was  useless  to  look  further,  the  wagons 
returned  to  camp.  Tents  had  been  erected  to  accom- 
modate the  Indians,  and  an  abundance  of  hay,  fire- 
wood, and  food,  provided  for  their  comfort,  and  the 
return  of  Steele  without  them  was  a  great  dis- 
appointment. 

A  consultation  was  held,  and  Steele  agreed  to  go 
in  again  and  see  what  was  the  matter.  He  was 
accompanied  only  by  Atwell,  the  other  reporters 
remarking  that  "they  didn't  own  any  Indians  in 
there,"  and  would  remain  in  camp.  Bogus  Charley, 
the  most  treacherous  of  the  Modocs,  betraying  dur- 
ing the  war  both  the  wdntes  and  his  own  people, 
was  at  the  camp,  and  accompanied  them  in.  When 
they  reached  the  chasm  that  leads  by  a  long  route 
up  to  the  cave,  Charley  said  "good-bye,"  and  rode 
away  from  them.  This  was  a  bad  sign,  but  they 
rode  on  to  the  usual  place  of  tying  the  horses,  wdiich 
was  a  wide  place  in  the  chasm  where  some  sage- 
brush grew.  Here  they  met  Frank  Riddle,  the 
interpreter  for  the  commission,  and  his  Modoc  wife, 
who  had  preceeded  them,  and  who  warned  them 
that  the  Indians  were  in  a  bad  frame  of  mind. 
Steele  was  convinced  of  this,  but  it  was  too  late  to 
turn  back,  and  so  they  went  on.  When  they 
reached  Bogus  Charley's  camp,  they  found  a  squaw, 
wdio  grunted  her  ignorance  of  her  lord's  where- 
abouts. It  was  now  dark,  and  they  preferred  to 
go  to  the  cave  and  brave  the  Indians  there,  than  to 
wander  about  in  the  darkness  at  the  mercy  of  any 
who  might  chance  to  feel  an  inner  prompting  to 
shoot  them.  Riddle  objected  to  going,  but  was 
persuaded  to  do  so. 

Their  advent  into  the  cave  was  received  with  a 
grunt  and  then  a  deep  hush  full  upon  the  circle  of 
warriors  gathered  about  the  smouldering  fire.  Steele 
had  a  squaw  throw  a  stick  of  wood  on  the  fire  so 
that  he  might  have  lightly  which  to  scrutinize  the 
countenances  of  those  about  him,  and  then  the  two 
white  men  seated  themselves  in  the  circle  of  war- 
riors. As  the  flames  leaped  up  towards  the  opening 
in  the  cave  above,  and  shed  a  lurid  glare  upon  the 


152 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


objects  in  the  cavern,  they  revealed  a  circle  of  scowl- 
ing and  malignant  faces.  It  did  not  require  one 
deeply  versed  in  Indian  physiognomy,  to  see  that 
those'  were  the  faces  of  bitter  enemies.  Steele  com- 
menced to  talk.  He  told  them  of  the  preparations 
Canby  had  made  to  receive  them,  how  grieved  he 
was  that  they  had  not  come,  and  asked  them  why 
they  had  broken  their  word.  While  he  was  talking 
his  eye  was  observing  everything  in  the  cave.  He 
counted  sixty-nine  warriors,  twenty-five  of  them 
being  strangers  that  he  then  supposed  to  be  Snakes, 
but  afterwards  discovered  were  Klamaths  from  the 
reservation  and  Pit  River  Indians.  It  was  very 
evident  that  these  visitors  were  largely  responsible 
for  the  condition  of  affairs.  They  were  there  encour- 
aging the  hostiles  with  offers  of  assistance.  Besides 
this  the  messengers  who  had  been  at  headquarters 
had  heard  of  the  indictments  found  by  the 
grand  jury  of  Jackson  county,  Oregon,  against 
nine  of  them  for  the  murder  of  settlers,  and  had 
heard  threats  of  hanging  the  whole  band. 

Schonchin  replied  to  Steele  in  an  angry  and 
excited  manner.  He  accused  him  of  acting  with 
duplicity,  and  refused  to  treat  on  any  terms  but  an 
extinguishment  of  all  past  offenses  and  permission 
to  remain  where  they  were.  His  remarks  were 
applauded  by  all  but  Jack,  Scarface,  and  a  few 
others.  Jack  made  a  speech  in  favor  of  peace,  and 
Bogus  Charley  went  up  to  him  and  crowned  hiin 
with  a  squaw's  cap,  calling  him  a  coward  and  a 
woman,  an  act  which  was  also  applauded.  Steele 
again  spoke  and  said  that  he  was  not  a  chief, 
and  could  agree  to  no  terms  for  them,  but  would 
lay  any  proposition  they  might  make  before  General 
Canby.  The  conversation  was  carried  on  by  him 
in  the  Chinook  jargon,  it  being  translated  by  those 
who  understood  it  for  the  benefit  of  the  others.  He 
understood  the  Modoc  tongue,  but  the  Indians  did 
not  know  it,  neither  did  Riddle  who  had  departed 
from  the  cave.  By  this  means  he  was  able  to  under- 
stand all  the  remarks  that  were  freely  made  by  the 
warriors.  Schonchin  now  began  haranguing  about 
the  Ben.  Wright  massacre,  accusing  the  whites  of 
base  treachery,  until  Steele  told  him  to  shut  up,  as 
he  had  heard  enough.  All  the  while  a  warm  dis- 
cussion was  going  on  as  to  whether  the  two  men 
should  be  killed  or  not.  Some  were  in  favor  of 
doing  it  then,  while  others  said  that  it  was  best  to  wait 
until  they  could  get  the  chiefs  into  their  power,  as 
Steele  had  told  them  he  was  no  Tyee.  The  faintest 
sign  of  fear  or  intimation  that  the  character  of  the 
conversation  was  understood,  would  have  sealed 
their  death  warrant.  Steele  watched  Atwell  with 
great  anxiety.  He  was  fearful  that  he  might  get 
an  inkling  of  the  situation  and  betray  the  fact,  but 
the  knight  of  the  quill  sat  on  a  stone  as  stoical  as 
the  most  impassive  Indian.  Satisfied  that  his  com- 
panion was  in  blissful  ignorance  of  his  nearness  to 
the  grave,  he  turned  again  to  the  scowling  savages. 
Schonchin  had  been  talking  almost  incessantly,  and 
now,  in  a  fit  of  passion,  asked  Steele  if  he  was  not 
afraid  to  sleep  in  the  cave  as  he  did  the  last  time. 
He  replied  that  he  was  afraid  of  nothing,  that  his 
heart  was  good  and  he  was  not  afraid  to  die,  that  he 
was  going  to  sleep  if  he  did  not  live  till  morning. 

The  Indians  finally  agreed  among  themselves  that 
if  Steele  would   promise  to  bring  the  Tyees  to  the 


cave  they  would  let  him  go,  in  the  hope  of  being 
able  to  get  the  chiefs  in  their  power.  When  he  was 
asked  if  he  could  and  would  bring  the  commis- 
sioners and  Canby  to  the  cave,  he  promised  to  do  so, 
and  the  council  broke  up.  Scarface  had  whispered 
to  Steele  to  sleep  on  his  mat,  which  lay  near  a  big 
rock  in  the  cave,  and  when  the  talk  was  finished 
after  midnight,  he  turned  and  gently  kicked  the 
owner  of  the  mat,  and  said, 

"  Hello !    What  Indian  is  this? " 

"  Me.     Scarface." 

"  Well,  Scarface,  I  want  to  sleep  on  your  mat 
to-night." 

Atwell  dumped  his  blankets  carelessly  down  upon 
the  mat,  and  said, 

"  I  guess  I'll  sleep  here  too." 

The  other  Indians  withdrew  to  their  various 
camps,  which  were  in  other  caves  or  among  the 
rocks  outside,  leaving  the  two  men  with  Scarface 
and  Captain  Jack.  The  mat  was  made  of  two 
rushes,  and  was  just  large  enough  for  the  two 
visitors.  Scarface  lay  across  the  end  at  their  head, 
and  Jack  stretched  himself  at  their  feet.  Ellen's 
Man  mounted  guard  on  top  of  the  cave  with  two 
Henry  rifles  and  all  the  ammunition  he  could  pack 
about  him.  This  was  necessary,  as  an  enemy  from 
the  outside  could  shoot  down  into  the  cavern  and 
kill  any  one  sleeping  there. 

The  night  passed  quietly  away,  and  in  the  morn- 
ing, having  renewed  his  promise  to  bring  Canby, 
Rosborough,  Meacham,  Applegate,  and  Chase  to  the 
cave,  Steele  took  his  departure  with  his  companion. 
They  mounted  their  horses  and  worked  their  way 
carefully  up  to  a  ridge  about  two  miles  from  the 
cave.  When  they  surmounted  this,  and  a  long 
stretch  of  good  road  was  spread  out  before  them, 
Atwell  bioke  the  silence  by  saying, 

"  Whew  !     I'm  glad  to  get  out  of  that  hole." 

"Why?"  exclaimed  Steele,  who  had  supposed 
Atwell  ignorant  of  the  situation,  "did  you  know 
what  was  going  on  last  night? " 

"  Yes,  I  did,  but  I  don't  care  now.  I  can  outrun 
them." 

When  they  reached  camp  they  rehearsed  their 
adventures,  and  Steele  told  the  commissioners  of 
the  promise  he  had  made  to  save  their  lives.  He 
said  he  would  never  go  back,  and  he  strongly  urged 
Canby  and  the  others  not  to  go  to  the  cave  and 
never  to  put  themselves  in  the  power  of  the  Modocs, 
as  it  would  be  equivalent  to  their  death.  He  then 
returned  to  Yreka.  Judge  Rosborough  went  to  Shasta 
to  hold  court.  Applegate  and  Chase  left  in  disgust 
refusing  to  have  anything  more  to  do  with  the  nego- 
tiations. 

The  situation  was  not  comprehended  by  the 
authorities  at  Washington.  They  thought  peace 
could  still  be  made,  and  would  not  permit  hostilities 
to  be  resumed.  The  commission  was  recognized, 
and  consisted  of  General  Canby,  Judge  Rosborough, 
A.  B.  Meacham,  T.  B.  Odeneal  and  Rev.  Dr.  E. 
Thomas,  of  Petaluma.  Odeneal  declined  and  Reser- 
vation Agent  L.  S.  Dyar  was  appointed. 

While  these  arrangements  were  being  perfected, 

Colonel  Biddle's  cavalry  kept  scouting  through  the 

-  country.     A  few  days  after  the   adventure  in  the 

cave,  they  came  upon  a  band  of  horses  guarded  by 

some  squaws  and  boys.     They  captured  the  animals, 


«isSL     r 


CHARLES  WILBER  NUTTING,  M.  D, 

Was  born  at  Barnesville,  Pike  county,  Georgia, 
October  3,  1852.  His  father  was  James  Nutting, 
still  living  near  Marietta,  Cobb  county,  Georgia,  and 
engaged  in  farming,  aged  about  fifty-five  years.  His 
mother's  maiden  mame  was  Epsie  Adeline  Holmes. 
She  died  in  her  fortieth  year,  in  November,  1872. 
When  sixteen  years  old,  the  subject  of  our  sketch 
finished  his  school  days  at  the  private  school  of  Profs. 
Baker  and  Manget,  at  Marietta.  In  January. 
1870,  he  went  into  the  bank  of  John  H.  James, 
Atlanta,  twenty  miles  from  his  home.  He  continued 
there  four  years.  He  left  the  bank  in  January, 
1874,  and  began  studying  medicine  in  October  of 
that  year,  and  also  attended  lectures  at  Atlanta 
Medical  College,  of  the  regular  school.  He  gradu- 
ated near  the  head  in  his  class  in  1876.  In  anatomy 
and  surgery  he  ranked  the  highest  among  all  grad- 
uates for  ten  years.     For  two  successive  collegiate 


years  he  held  the  position  as  demonstrator  of  anat- 
omy with  considerable  credit  to  himself  and  the 
institution,  being  one  of  the  city  physicians  at  the 
same  time.  In  1878  Dr.  C.  M.  Hill,  of  Etna,  with- 
drew for  his  old  home  in  the  southern  part  of  Geor- 
gia. Dr.  Nutting,  then  in  his  twenty-sixth  year,  cor- 
responded with  him  and  took  his  practice,  which  he 
still  holds  to  the  present  day.  The  practice  is  very 
extensive,  he  being  obliged  to  travel  much  by  night 
and  day.  Although  quite  a  new-comer,  the  doctor, 
by  prompt  attention  to  business,  by  his  skill  as  a 
surgeon  and  physician,  and  gentlemanly  bearing  to 
all  classes,  has  become  quite  popular  and  bids  fair  to 
remain  as  a  permanent  citizen  of  the  county.  The 
other  members  of  his  family  are: — Millard  H.,  teller 
in  the  Atlanta  National  Bank,  the  eldest ;  James  R., 
a  cotton  buyer  at  Atlanta ;  Lutie  A.,  wife  of  Mr. 
Brown,  a  planter  near  Marietta,  Georgia  ;  and  Min- 
nie F.,  now  at  her  father's  home. 


■■■■"■*"' 


o 

o 

u 

Ui 

o 

t/> 

z 

j 

< 

< 

CC     ) 

u. 

«, 

u- 

yj 

o 

UI 

>■ 

n 

fe 

") 

UJ 

h 

QU 

nr 

o 
oc 

0 
u 

a. 

a 

g 

a 
to 

UJ 

DC 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


153 


thirty-four  in  all,  but  did  not  molest  the  Indians. 
On  the  twenty- first  of  March  General  Canby  and 
Colonel  Gillem  went  on  a  scout  with  the  cavalry  to  the 
lava  beds,  and  were  met  by  Indians  on  a  bluff.  The 
Modocs  said  they  wanted  two  men  to  come  up  and 
talk.  Dr.  Cabaniss  and  Edward  Fox,  the  Herald 
correspondent,  advanced,  and  were  held  as  hostages 
while  Jack,  Scarface  and  Curley-Headed  Doctor 
went  out  and  met  Canby  and  Gillem.  Jack  stated 
his  terms  to  be  let  alone  and  be  permitted  to  live  on 
Lost  river.  Nothing  was  accomplished  by  this  inter- 
view. 

Thus  time  wore  on.  About  the  last  of  March  Dr. 
Thomas  arrived  at  headquarters.  When  he  passed 
through  Yreka  he  had  a  long  conversation  with 
Judge  Steele  about  the  situation,  and  was  warmly 
urged  not  to  put  himself  in  the  power  of  the  Indians. 

Messengers  kept  going  back  and  forward  between 
Canby  and  Jack,  but  to  little  effect.  The  Indians 
evidently  striving  for  delay  in  the  hope  of  receiving 
the  assistance  promised  them  by  other  tribes.  On 
the  third  of  April,  Judge  Rosborough,  the  last  of 
peace  commissioners  arrived  in  camp,  arrangements 
having  been  made  for  a  grand  council  to  be  held  the 
following  day.  A  council  tent  was  erected  some 
distance  from  the  camp,  in  which  to  hold  the  con- 
ference. About  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning, 
Boston  Charley  came  in  and  said  Jack  would  not  go 
to  the  tent,  but  wanted  Meacham,  Fairchilds,  Ros- 
borousdi  and  Riddle  to  meet  him  on  the  lake  shore. 
They  went,  and  Jack  stated  that  his  terms  were  to 
have  the  soldiers  removed  and  himself  given  a  reser- 
vation on  Lost  river.  Meacham  said  he  could  not 
have  a  home  on  Lost  river,  as  he  would  be  in  per- 
petual trouble  with  the  settlers.  Jack  then  insisted 
that  he  should  be  allowed  to  live  in  lava  beds  or  on 
Hot  creek,  and  said  to  send  his  proposition  to  Wash- 
ington, and  when  an  answer  came  back  they  would 
have  another  talk. 

On  the  sixth,  Boston  again  came  in  with  a  propo- 
sition for  Canby,  Gillem  and  the  commissioners  to 
meet  Jack  and  seven  others  at  a  cave  in  the  lava 
beds.  Steele's  warning  of  intended  treachery  led  to 
the  rejection  of  this  and  all  similar  proposals,  until 
the  fatal  step  was  taken  that  led  to  a  realization  of 
the  value  of  that  warning.  Judcre  Rosborough  was 
compelled  to  return  to  Shasta  to  hold  court,  and 
could  participate  no  further  in  the  actions  of  the 
commission.  Boston  again  came  in  on  the  seventh, 
and  proposed  a  conference  of  five  on  each  side  the 
following  day.  This  was  accepted,  but  the  Indians 
failed  to  appear,  sending  the  excuse  that  one  of  the 
braves  was  dead.  Boston  again  came  on  the  ninth, 
and  said  that  Jack  wanted  to  surrender,  but  Schon- 
chin  would  not  consent.  On  the  tenth,  both  Bogus 
Charley  and  Boston  Charley  appeared,  and  proposed 
that  a  meeting  be  held  on  the  following  day  at  the 
council  tent  in  the  glade,  both  parties  to  be  entirely 
unarmed.  The  terms  were  accepted  and  Bogus 
remained  all  night  in  camp,  while  Boston  went  back 
with  the  news.  During  the  long  suspension  of  hos- 
tilities, the  Indians  in  their  frecpient  visits  to  the 
camp  had  been  treated  with  unvarying  kindness. 
They  had  been  given  food,  clothing,  and  tobacco.  In 
fact,  so  much  better  had  they  been  treated  than  the 
soldiers  and  friendly  Indians,  that  complaints  and 
murmurings  were  heard.  It  was  thought  by  this 
20 


kindness  to  win  their  hearts,  but  the  location  of  an 
Indian's  heart  is  uncertain  indeed. 

The  morning  of  the  fatal  eleventh  of  April,  1873, 
broke  fair  and  calm.  After  breakfast,  during  which 
the  two  messengers  (Boston  having  returned  in  the 
morning)  sat  at  the  same  table  with  those  they  soon 
after  assisted  treacherously  to  murder,  preparations 
were  made  for  the  coming  council.  Fairchilds  was 
fearful  of  treachery  from  the  way  the  two  Indians 
acted,  and  asked  them  if  they  did  not  want  him  to 
come  also.  They  said  no,  they  only  wanted  Canby, 
Gillem,  Thomas,  Meacham  and  Dyar,  besides  the 
interpreters.  He  talked  with  them  a  little  more, 
and  then  warned  the  commissioners  that  in  his  opin- 
ion they  were  going  to  certain  death.  Riddle  and 
his  Modoc  wife,  Tobey,  both  gave  the  same  opinion. 
It  was  suggested  that  they  take  revolvers  along,  but 
they  said  that  was  a  violation  of  the  agreement. 
Meacham  and  Dyar  were  loth  to  go,  being  now  satis- 
fied that  treachery  was  intended,  but  Canby,  no  less 
certain  of  the  fact  than  they,  thought  his  duty  and 
honor  as  a  soldier  required  him  to  go,  and  Dr. 
Thomas  said  that  it  could  not  be  possible  that  the 
Indians  would  act  in  bad  faith  after  the  great  kind- 
nesses that  had  been  shown  them,  and  that  God 
would  watch  over  and  protect  them  in  their  mission 
of  peace.  He  believed  what  he  said,  and  it  cost  him 
his  life.  General  Canby  preserved  his  soldier's  honor 
at  the  same  fearful  price.  Meacham  and  Dyar  were 
both  uneasy.  They  feared  treachery.  Riddle  gave 
them  a  last  warning:  "Gentlemen,  1  have  been  talk- 
ing with  my  wife;  she  has  never  told  me  a  lie  nor 
deceived  me,  and  she  says  if  you  go  to-day  you  will 
be  killed.  We  wash  our  hands  of  all  blame.  If  you 
must  go,  go  well  armed.  I  give  you  my  opinion 
because  I  do  not  want  to  be  blamed  hereafter." 
Fairchilds  also  added  a  word:  "It  is  my  firm  con- 
viction that  if  you  go  out  there  to-day  you  will 
never  come  back."  Meacham  and  Dyar  were  both 
convinced.  They  endeavored  to  have  the  interview 
abandoned,  or  to  have  them  go  armed,  or  to  at  least 
have  Fairchilds  go  along  with  a  revolver, but  Canby 
and  Thomas  would  not  listen  to  the  propositions. 
They  were  a  breach  of  faith,  and  honor  with  the 
soldier  was  more  than  life.  Canby  was  then 
entreated  to  promise  to  rpmove  the  soldiers  from  the 
country,  if  it  was  demanded  and  the  Indians  were 
armed,  but  he  looked  up  resolutely  and  said:  "  Gen- 
tlemen, I  will  never  promise  anything  I  do  not 
intend  to  perform."  The  sentiment  was  echoed  by 
the  venerable  minister,  and  the  brave  soldier  anil 
Christain  disciple  staited  on  foot  for  the  council  tent. 
The  one  arrayed  in  his  full  uniform,  marched  boldly 
to  his  death  at  the  call  of  duty  ;  the  other,  a  man 
of  peace,  followed  trustingly  whither  the  voice  of  his 
God  led  him.  With  these  went  B  gus Charley,  with 
his  ride  on  his  shoulder.  He  was  the  most  treacher- 
ous ami  cruel  of  them  all,  but  had  completely  won 
the  good  Doctor's  heart  bj  pretending  to  have 
become  good,  or  playing  what  is  commonly  known 
as  the  "  pious  dodge  "  upon'the  old  gentleman.  To 
him  and  Boston  the  kind  hearted  man  had  but  the 
day  before  given  new  suits  of  clothes,  and  it  wag 
hard  to  believe  that  he  now  walked  by  the  venerable 
man's  side  with  murder  in  hishearfc.  Meacham  and 
Dyar  both  put  little  derringer  pistols  in  their  coal 
pockets,  and  leaving  directions  with  their  friends  of 


154 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


their  disposition  in  case  of  death,  mounted  their 
horses.  Meachani  was  chairman  of  the  commission, 
and  was  ashamed  to  remain  after  the  other  two  had 
gone.  Dyar  was  too  proud  to  stay  away.  Accom- 
panied by  Tobey  on  horseback,  and  Riddle,  who  said 
in  case  of  trou  hie  he  did  not  want  to  be  bothered  with 
a  horse,  they  set  out  towards  the  council  tent.  Gillem 
remained  behind  to  command  the  troops,  who  were 
held  in  readiness  for  an  emergency.  Leaving  them 
on  their  way,  let  us  see  to  whom  and  to  what  they 
were  going. 

Ever  since  the  adventure  of  Steele  and  Atwell  in 
the  cave,  a  month  before,  the  murder  of  the  com- 
missioners and  the  head  officers  had  been  a  bone  of 
contention  among  the  Indians.  The  majority  were 
in  favor  of  it,  while  Jack,  Scarface  and  a  few  others 
violently  opposed  it.  There  were  two  considerations 
that  led  to  the  action — revenge  for  the  Ben.  Wright 
massacre,  which  was  the  ruling  motive  of  Schonchin, 
who  was  present  at  that  event,  and  a  belief  that  the 
death  of  the  Tyees  would  end  the  trouble,  and  let 
them  make  peace  on  their  own  terms.  So  little  did 
they  understand  the  nature,  power,  and  resources  of 
our  government,  they  actually  believed  this  would 
be  the  result  of  the  death  of  Canby  and  the  com- 
missioner's. It  was  largely  owing  to  this  dissension 
among  the  Modocs  that  negotiations  were  delayed, 
broken  off,  and  resumed  so  many  times. 

When  Boston  Charley  returned  to  the  cave  with 
the  news  that  the  commissioners  had  agreed  to  meet 
five  of  them  unarmed  the  next  day,  a  heated  dis- 
cussion arose  between  the  twro  factions.  Schonchin 
was  eager  for  the  murder,  while  Jack  insisted  that 
it  should  not  be  done.  They  gathered  around  him, 
put  a  woman's  hat  on  his  head,  and  threw  a  shawl 
over  his  shoulders.  While  thus  arrayed  they  taunted 
him,  said  he  was  a  squaw  and  a  coward,  a  traitor 
to  his  people,  that  he  had  established  a  principle 
that  the  majority  should  rule,  and  now  he  would 
not  abide  by  it.  Stung  to  the  quick  by  these 
taunts,  he  stood  up  among  the  reviling  circle  of 
demons  and  gave  his  assent.  Having  now  under- 
taken the  task,  he  claimed  the  right  as  chief  to 
manage  the  whole  affair,  and  kill  General  Canby 
himself.  Plans  were  carefulby  laid.  It  was  decided 
that  Captain  Jack,  Schonchin,  Hooka  Jim,  Black 
Jim,  Ellen's  Man,  and  Shacknasty  Jim,  should  go 
to  the  tent  armed  with  revolvers.  These,  with 
Boston  and  Bogus,  who  were  to  come  with  the 
whites,  would  make  eight,  three  more  than  the 
stipulated  number.  Besides  this,  Slolux  and  Watch- 
in-tate  were  to  be  secreted  near  by  with  several 
rifles,  and  were  to  rush  up  when  the  signal  was 
given.  To  each  of  the  five  expected  victims,  Canby, 
Gillem,  Thomas,  Meacham,  and  Dyar,  were  appor- 
tioned two  of  the  Indians.  Scarface  Charley  refused 
to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  affair,  and  gave 
notice  that  if  Riddle  was  killed  he  would  take 
vengeance  upon  the  slayer  of  his  friend ;  and  during 
that  whole  terrible  scene  he  lay  near  by,  his  rifle 
in  hand,  ready  to  execute  his  threat.  A  plan  was 
also  laid  to  decoy  the  LiWe  Tijee,  Colonel  Mason, 
from  his  camp  on  the  east  side  of  the  lava  beds,  and 
murder  him.  Curley-Headed  Doctor,  Curley-Headed 
Jack,  and  Steamboat  Frank,  were  assigned  to  this 
duty. 

The  plans  being  perfected,  each  one  took  his  sta- 


tion. A  fire  was  built  behind  the  council  tent,  so 
that  the  movements  could  not  be  observed  from 
camp,  and  the  six  murderers  lay  down  by  it  to 
await  the  coming  of  their  victims.  Soon  Bogus 
Charley  and  Boston  Charley  appeared  and  an- 
nounced the  approach  of  the  unarmed  men.  Jack 
made  a  last  appeal  to  them  to  forego  their  design, 
but  Bogus  Charley  exclaimed,  "  Kill  these  men  and 
the  war  will  stop.  It  will  frighten  the  soldiers  all 
away."  With  a  sigh  the  chief  said,  "  So  be  it,  then, 
but  it  will  cause  the  destruction  of  my  people,  and 
my  blood  will  pay  for  the  act."  He  had  but  just 
finished  speaking  when  Canby  and  Thomas  walked 
up  to  the  fire,  and  were  cordially  welcomed  with 
hand-shaking  and  words  of  friendship.  Canby  dis- 
tributed cigars,  and  they  all  sat  about  the  fire  and 
smoked  in  silence.  Soon  the  balance  of  the  party 
arrived  and  met  with  the  same  hearty  welcome, 
even  before  they  could  dismount.  Meacham  left  his 
horse  untied  and  took  off  his  overcoat.  It  took  but 
one  glance  to  see  that  there  were  eight  Indians 
instead  of  five,  and  that  they  all  had  revolvers  under 
their  coats.  Whatever  may  have  been  his  opinion 
before,  even  Dr.  Thomas  was  now  well  aware  that 
treachery  was  intended.  All  appeared  restless  ex- 
cept Canby  and  Thomas,  the  former  too  proud  to 
exhibit  a  want  of  confidence  and  the  latter  too  full  of 
trust  in  Providence  to  feel  fear.  The  massacre  was 
almost  precipitated  before  the  talking  began  by  the 
intrusion  of  a  Mr.  Clark  who  came  up  unexpectedly 
while  hunting  horses.  The  Indians  sprang  to  their 
feet  when  they  observed  him,  and  nothing  but  the 
coolness  of  the  whites  postponed  the  work.  Mr. 
Clark  was  requested  to  retire,  and  then  the  talk 
began.  Seated  about  the  fire  were  the  commission- 
ers and  the  chief  Indians.  Riddle  interpreted  the 
remarks  of  the  Indians  into  English,  while  Tobey 
made  the  words  of  the  white  men  intelligible  to  her 
countrymen.  Meacham  opened  the  council  by  say- 
ing, "  We  have  come  here  to-day  to  hear  what  you 
have  to  propose.     You  sent  for  us,  and  we  are  here." 

Captain  Jack  replied,  "  We  want  no  more  war. 
We  are  tired,  and  our  women  and  children  are 
afraid  of  the  soldiers.  We  want  them  taken  away, 
and  then  we  will  make  peace." 

"  General  Canby  is  in  charge  of  the  soldiers,"  was 
the  reply.  "  He  cannot  take  them  away  without  a 
letter  from  the  President.  We  are  all  your  friends. 
If  you  will  come  out  of  the  rocks  and  go  with  us, 
we  will  leave  the  women  and  children  in  camp  on 
Cottonwood  or  Hot  creek.  We  will  need  the  sol- 
diers to  make  other  people  stay  away,  while  we 
look  up  a  new  home  for  you." 

While  this  conversation  was  being  carried  on  at 
the  fire,  Hooka  Jim  wandered  restlessly  about.  He 
went  to  Meacham's  horse,  which  had  purposely  been 
left  untied  and  secured  him  to  a  sage-brush.  He 
then  put  on  the  owner's  overcoat,  and  buttoned  it 
up  to  the  chin  exclaiming,  "  me  old  man  Meacham 
now,  Bogus  you  think  me  look  like  Meacham?" 
This  action  was  not  resented,  as  he  had  hoped  it 
would  be,  and  thus  the  inevitable  trouble  was  again 
postponed.  Hooka  Jim's  actions  told  only  too  plainly 
the  bloody  intentions  of  the  savages.  Dyar  strolled 
carelessly  to  his  horse  and  pretended  to  arrange  the 
trappings  on  the  saddle,  keeping  his  face  towards  the 
tire.     Riddle  did  the  same  at  his  wife's  horse.    They 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


I :.  5 


intended  to  have  the  cover  of  the  animals  when  they 
started  on  the  race  for  life  they  knew  must  soon  be 
made.  Tobey  stretched  herself  out  at  full  length  upon 
the  ground,  to  be  out  of  the  way  of  flying  bullets. 

Meacham  saw  by  Canby '"s  countenance  that  he 
realized  the  danger  they  were  in,  and  asked  him  to 
speak,  with  the  hope  that  he  would  promise  to 
remove  the  troops  and  thus  avert  their  impending 
doom.  The  inflexible  soldier  stood  erect,  and  in 
a  voice  slightly  tremulous,  from  the  intensity  of  his 
emotion,  slowly  said,  "Tobey,  tell  these  people  that 
the  President  sent  the  soldiers  here  to  protect  them 
as  well  as  the  white  man.  They  are  all  friends  of 
the  Indians.  They  cannot  be  taken  away  without 
the  President's  consent.  Tell  them  that  when  I 
was  a  young  man  I  was  sent  to  move  a  band  of 
Indians  from  their  old  home  to  a  new  one.  They 
did  not  like  me  at  first,  but  when  they  became 
acquainted  with  me,  they  liked  me  so  well  that-they 
made  me  a  chief,  and  gave  me  a  name  that  signified 
"fiiend  of  the  Indian."  I  also  moved  another  to  a 
new  home,  and  they  too,  gave  me  a  name  that  meant 
"  the  tall  man."  Many  years  afterwards  I  visited 
these  people,  and  they  come  a  long  distance  to  meet 
me  and  were  glad  to  see  me.  Tell  them  that  I  have 
no  doubt  the  Modocs  will  some  day  like  me  as  those 
people  did,  and  look  upon  me  as  their  friend." 

Dr.  Thomas  then  said:  "Tobey,  tell  these  people 
that  I  believe  the  Great  Spirit  put  it  into  the  heart 
of  the  President  to  send  us  here  to  make  peace.  We 
are  all  children  of  one  Father.  Our  hearts  are  all 
open  to  Him.  He  sees  all  we  do.  He  knows  all  our 
hearts.  We  are  all  your  friends.  I  have  known 
Mr.  Meacham  fourteen  years,  I  have  known  General 
Canby  eight  years,  I  have  known  Mr.  Dyar  five  years. 
I  know  all  their  hearts  are  good.  They  are  all  good 
men.  We  do  not  want  any  more  blood  shed.  We 
want  to  be  your  friends.  God  sees  all  we  do.  He 
will  hold  us  all  responsible  for  what  we  do." 

During  these  talks  Jack  sat  speechless  and  irres- 
olute. He  seemed  loth  to  give  the  signal  for  the 
bloody  work  to  commence.  His  companions  were 
restless  and  eyed  him  with  impatience  and  distrust. 
He  finally  arose  and  walked  slowly  away  from  the 
fire.  Schonchin  sprang  into  his  place,  and  in  an 
excited  manner  exclaimed:  "  Give  us  Hot  creek  and 
take  the  soldiers  away." 

He  was  assured  that  Hot  creek  belonged  to  Fair- 
childs  and  Dorris,  and  they  would  probably  refute 
to  sell  it.  In  a  threatening  manner  he  exclaimed 
fiercely,  "  Take  away  your  soldiers  and  give  us  Hot 
creek,  or  quit  talking.  I  am  tired  of  talking.  I 
talk  no  more." 

While  this  was  being  interpreted,  Captain  Jack, 
who  had  returned  to  the  little  group  around  the  fire, 
gave  the  signal,  and  the  Modoc  war-whoop  rent  the 
air.  At  the  same  time  he  drew  a  revolver  from 
under  his  coat  and  presented  it  at  Canby 's  head, 
exclaiming  " Ha-tuk!"  (all  ready).  It  missed  fire. 
Quickly  revolving  the  chamber,  he  again  pulled  the 
trigger,  and  buried  a  bullet  in  his  victim's  head. 

The  general  did  not  fall,  but  essayed  to  escape, 
pursued  by  Ellen's  Man.  He  soon  fell,  shattering 
nis  jaw  on  the  rocks,  and  was  then  cut  in  the  neck 
by  a  knife.  Watch-in-tate  and  Siolux  at  this  point 
arrived  with  the  rifles,  and  Ellen's  Man,  grasping 
one  of  these,  sent  a  bullet  crashing  through  the  pros- 


trate man's  brain.     He   was  then  stripped   of  his 
clothing  and  left  naked  on  the  rocks. 

Simultaneously  with  Jack's  attack  upon  Canby, 
Boston  Charley  shot  Dr.  Thomas  in  the  breast.  If- 
partially  fell  to  the  ground,  begging  them  to  shoot 
no  more  as  he  had  a  death  wound.  He  was  allowed 
to  rise  by  his  two  pet  Indians,  Bogus  and  Boston, 
who  were  now  making  their  return  for  the  kindness 
he  had  shown  them.  They  tripped  him  down, 
taunting  him  with  his  religion.  Three  times  they 
permit  him  to  rise  and  three  times  they  push  him 
over,  jeering  him  the  while.  Bogus  then  seized  a 
rifle  from  Siolux  and  buried  a  bullet  in  the  brain  of 
him  who  hail  thought  of  nothing  but  kindness  to 
his  murderers.  The  body  was  denuded  of  its  outer 
clothing  and  left  where  it  fell. 

No  sooner  did  the  whoop  of  the  Modocs  sound, 
than  Tobey  crouched  close  to  the  ground,  and  Riddle 
and  Dyar  started  at  the  top  of  their  speed.  Dyar  was 
pursued  by  Hooka  Jim,  who  dropped  quickly  to 
the  ground  when  the  fugitive  turned  and  pointed 
his  pistol  at  him.  Dyar  then  resumed  his  flight, 
and  ran  so  swiftly  that  the  pursuit  was  abandoned. 
At  the  same  time  Riddle  was  running  at  the  top  of 
his  speed  towards  the  camp,  followed  by  Black  Jim. 
The  pursuer  fired  rapidly,  but  to  no  effect.  Riddle 
escaped,  and  Scarface  Charley  needed  not  to  use  his 
avenging'  rifle. 

To  Schonchin  and  Shacknasty  Jim  had  the  work 
of  killing  Meacham  been  assigned.  When  the  sig- 
nal was  given  Schonchin  drew  a  revolver  and  knife, 
but  was  too  slow.  Meacham  drew  his  revolver  and 
placed  it  against  his  opponent's  breast,  but  it  would 
not  explode.  In  his  haste  and  excitement  he  had 
only  half  cocked  it.  It  was  too  late  to  correct  the 
fault,  Schonchin's  bullet  passed  through  his  coat  and 
grazed  his  shoulder.  He  fled,  pursued  by  Schonchin, 
who  fired  rapidly.  The  Indian  emptied  his  revolver 
and  drew  another.  Tobey  sprang  up  and  seized  him 
by  the  arm,  exclaiming,  "  Don't  kill  him.  He  friend 
of  the  Indian."  Siolux  then  came  up  and  struck 
the  squaw  on  the  head  with  his  gun.  It  was 
snatched  from  his  hand  by  Shacknasty  Jim,  who 
took  deliberate  aim  at  the  fleeing  man.  The  squaw 
struck  down  the  weapon,  but  he  again  took  aim  and 
fired,  wounding  the  man  in  the  shoulder,  just  as  he 
leaped  over  a  pile  of  rocks,  behind  which  he  fell. 
Thrusting  his  pistol  over  the  edge  of  the  rocks, 
Meacham  took  aim  at  Schonchin,  and  was  at  that 
instant  wounded  in  the  forehead  by  a  bullet.  Aim- 
ing again  he  fired  his  only  shot,  and  Schonchin  fell 
on  the  rocks  wounded.  At  the  same  time  several 
bullets  found  lodging  in  Meacham's  body,  and  he 
fell  back  apparently  lifeless.  Shacknasty  Jim  ran 
up  and  began  stripping  him  of  his  clothing, 
while  Siolux  advanced  and  placed  the  muzzle 
ofagun  to  the  wounded  man's  head,  but  Jim  pushed 
it  away,  saying  "You  need  not  shoot,  he  is  dead. 
He  won't  get  up." 

The  Indians  were  then  called  together  by  Jack, 
and  with  the  spoils  of  their  victims  started  for  tin' 
cave.  But  Bogus  Charley  was  nut  satisfied;  he 
wanted  Meacham's  scalp.  Drawing  a  knife,  he 
stooped  down  and  commenced  the  operation,  when 
Tobey  exclaimed,  "The  soldiers  arc  coming,"  and 
thus  frightened  him  away  to  join  his  companions, 
who  were  hastening  to  their  stronghold. 


156 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


While  these  events  were  happening  at  the  council 
tent,  still  another  tragedy  was  being  enacted  at 
Colonel  Mason's  camp  at  Hospital  Rock.  A  white 
flag  was  observed  beyond  the  picket  line  and 
reported  to  Lieutenant  Sherwood,  officer  of  the  day, 
who  reported  the  flag  at  headquarters.  _  Colonel 
Mason  was  suspicious  of  treachery,  but  Major  JBoyle, 
commander  of  the  camp  on  the  isthmus,  on  the  east 
side  of  Tide  lake,  was  there,  and  requested  permis- 
sion to  go  out  and  investigate.  This  was  granted, 
and  accompanied  by  Lieutenant  Sherwood,  he 
walked  toward  the  rocks  upon  which  the  little 
emblem  of  peace  was  fluttering.  Steamboat  Frank 
rose  up  from  the  rocks  and  asked  for  Colonel  Mason, 
and  was  told  he  would  not  come  out.  He  then 
wanted  the  two  oflicers  to  come  up  into  the  rocks. 
This  was  refused,  and  Boyle  catching  sight  of  a  gun 
peeping  over  the  top  of  the  rocks,  started  on  a  run 
for  camp,  exclaiming  to  his  companion,  "Run  for 
your  life."  Two  volleys  were  fired  in  quick  succes- 
sion by  the  concealed  savages,  Sherwood  falling  at 
the  second  one  with  a  bullet  in  his  thigh.  The 
troops  from  the  camp  instantly  charged,  and  the 
treacherous  devils  fled  to  their  stronghold. 

The  message,  "Boyle  and  Sherwood  attacked 
under  a  flag  of  truce,"  was  instantly  signalled  to 
Lieutenant  Adams,  in  charge  of  the  signal  station  at 
Gillem's  headquarters.  The  intelligence  was  com- 
municated to  the  commanding  officer,  who  sat  down 
and  was  writing  a  note  to  Canby  informing  him  of 
the  event,  when  the  startling  cry  came  again  from 
the  signal  station,  "  The  Indians  are  firing  on  the 
commissioners." 

The  consternation  in  camp  was  great.  Many  of 
the  soldiers  started  on  the  run  for  the  council  tent, 
but  were  called  back  by  the  officers  and  made  to  form 
in  regular  line,  while  the  long  roll  was  sounded. 
Precious  minutes  were  thus  wasted  before  the  men 
were  started  in  double  time,  deploying  in  skirmish 
line  as  they  ran.  With  them  went  the  surgeons 
and  reporters.  They  first  met  Dyar,  who  breath- 
lessly exclaimed,  "They  are  all  killed  but  I."  Soon 
Riddle  came  running  up  saying,  "  They  have  killed 
them  all  but  me."  Then  Tobey  was  met,  who 
said,  "  Canby,  Meacham,  Thomas,  all  kill." 

On  rushed  the  troops,  but  when  they  arrived  at 
the  council  tent  they  found  no  enemy.  In  their 
stead  there  lay  the  inanimate  forms  of  the  brave 
soldier  and  the  white-haired  peacemaker,  covered 
with  blood,  the  one  entirely  stripped  of  its  clothing 
and  the  other  nearly  so.  Tears  sprang  to  the  eyes 
of  that  rude  soldiery,  while  the  friends  of  the  mur- 
dered men  wept  with  the  depth  of  their  emotion. 
Tenderly  the  bodies  were  lifted  up,  covered  with 
coats  and  canvas  cut  from  the  council  tent,  and 
borne  in  sorrow  to  the  camp.  Meacham  was  found 
covered  with  wounds.  Restoratives  were  applied 
by  Dr.  Cabaniss;  the  wounded  man  was  placed  on 
a  stretcher  and  carefully  carried  to  the  hospital, 
where  he  recovered  in  due  time. 

The  soldiers  did  not  stop  here.  Cautiously  they 
advanced  momentarily  expecting  to  receive  a  volley 
from  their  unseen  foe.  The  caution  was  needless, 
for  the  Modocs,  content  with  what  they  had  accom- 
plished, had  retired  to  their  retreat  in  the  rocks,  to 
rejoice  over  their  hellish  work. 

All  thought  of  anything  but  a  vigorous  prosecu- 


tion of  the  war  was  now  abandoned.  The  fifty 
Warm  Spring  Indians  under  Donald  McKay  arrived, 
and  preparations  were  made  for  a  combined  attack 
on  the  stronghold. 

On  the  morning  of  the  fifteenth  of  April  Colonel 
Mason  advanced  on  the  east,  the  Warm  Spring 
Indians  on  the  south  and  Colonel  Miller  with  the 
main  body  on  the  west.  The  plan  was  for  the  three 
divisions  to  unite  and  close  in  upon  the  hostiles,  the 
lake  forming  the  fourth  side.  It  was  practically 
the  same  plan  of  attack  attempted  by  Colonel 
Wheaton.  The  artillery  commenced  dropping  shells 
into  the  camp  of  the  enemy,  creating  the  greatest 
consternation.  These  "  double-shooting  guns,"  were 
a  mystery  to  the  uninitiated  savages.  They  did  not 
like  them,  although  little  damage  was  done  by  these, 
except  to  knock  the  rocks  about  and  make  the 
stronghold  an  exceedingly  uncomfortable  place  to 
stay  in,  they  had  the  effect  of  keeping  the  Indians  on 
the  move  and  taking  away  the  confidence  and  sense 
of  security  they  had  previously  enjoyed.  One  of  these 
shells  was  picked  up  by  Shacknasty  Jim's  brother 
and  a  son  of  Curley-Headed  Doctor,  exploding  in 
their  hands  and  blowing  the  two  boys  to  atoms. 

The  lines  advanced  slowly  on  all  sides,  the  most 
severe  fighting  being  the  capture  of  a  bluff  on  the 
lake  shore.  The  men  crept  along  until  at  the  base 
of  the  hill,  and  then  charged  up  with  a  yell,  the 
hostiles  beating  a  precipitate  retreat.  This  point 
was  one  from  which  the  Indian  camp  could  be 
shelled  to  good  advantage,  and  the  troops  rested 
here  for  the  night,  Major  Thomas  bringing  his  artil- 
lery to  the  spot.  Contrary  to  expectation  the  forces 
had  not  been  able  to  effect  a  junction,  and  they 
camped  for  the  night  in  the  positions  they  had 
gained. 

During  the  night  the  Indians  built  a  huge  fire  at 
their  camp,  but  Major  Thomas  trained  a  gun  on  it, 
and  scattered  them  and  their  fire  in  all  directions. 
All  the  next  day  the  shells  were  freely  dropped  into 
the  lava  beds,  keeping  the  enemy  on  the  anxious 
seat,  while  the  soldiers  cautiously  advanced.  There 
were  occasional  little  battles  at  different  points,  but 
no  severe  fighting,  the  Indians  evidently  feeling 
their  way  about  to  see  where  they  could  find  a  weak 
point. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  third  clay,  the  lines 
were  again  advanced,  with  the  expectation  of  cap- 
turing the  stronghold.  The  men  moved  forward 
in  squads  of  three,  twenty  feet  between.  They 
moved  steadily  forward  until  near  the  cave,  and  then 
with  a  yell  sprang  over  the  rocks  into  the  strong- 
hold. They  had  captured  an  empty  cage,  for  the 
birds  had  flown  during  the  night.  They  had  escaped 
through  a  gap  in  the  lines  to  the  south. 

A  small  band  of  them  did  not  accompany  the 
others,  but  occupied  a  position  near  the  lake.  From 
this  point  they  fired  upon  some  scattered  parties  of 
newspaper  men,  teamsters,  and  men  with  stretchers, 
killing  Eugene  Hovey,  an  estimable  young  man 
from  Yreka.  Before  night  they  were  dislodged, 
and  the  mutilated  body  of  young  Hovey  was  recov- 
ered, and  conveyed  to  Yreka. 

The  loss  in  the  three  days'  fight  was  six  killed 
and  twelve  wounded.  It  was  claimed  at  the  time 
that  sixteen  "good  Indians"  had  been  made,  but  it 
was  afterwards  discovered  that  this  was  sixteen  too 


PETER  PAYSON  PETERSON. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  native  of  Tondern, 
Germany,  in  the  Duchy  of  Schleswig,  where  he  was 
born  March  13,  1825.  He  was  the  third  son  of 
Peter  P.  and  Helena  Catharina  Peterson.  Young 
Peter  was  sent  to  school  at  an  early  age,  and  when 
thirteen  years  old  entered  the  high  school,  where  he 
acquired  the  rudiments  of  the  higher  branches  of 
learning.  He  was  of  a  wild  and  reckless  disposition 
that  chafed  under  the  restraints  of  school,  and  at 
the  age  of  fifteen  abandoned  his  school  and  other 
advantages  and  entered  the  commercial  marine  serv- 
ice. He  sailed  from  Bremen  as  ship  boy,  ordinary 
seaman  and  able-bodied  seaman  for  four  years,  vis- 
iting the  ports  of  the  Baltic  and  North  seas  and 
several  times  crossing  the  Atlantic.  In  1844  he  was 
induced  to  leave  his  ship  in  New  Orleans  and  engage 
in  the  American  service,  there  being  better  prospects 
for  advancement.  He  eagerly  grasped  every  oppor- 
tunity on  the  voyage  to  learn  to  speak  and  read  the 
English  language,  which  he  soon  accomplished.  In 
August,  1844,  he  sailed  in  a  vessel  loaded  with  cot- 
ton from  Apalachicola  to  Liverpool.  The  second  day 
out  she  sprang  a  leak  that  could  not  be  overcome,  a 
gale  came  up,  and  the  captain  beached  the  vessel  on 
Santa  Rosa  island,  on  the  gulf  coast  of  Florida,  the 
crew  reaching  shore  on  a  raft  of  cotton  bales.  He 
returned  to  New  Orleans  and  for  three  years  sailed 
before  the  mast  and  as  mate  in  various  ships,  chiefly 
between  New  York  and  Liverpool.  Apprised  of  his 
father's  death  a  year  after  it  occurred,  he  hastened 
home  in  1847.  He  then  went  to  the  Danish  school 
of  navigation  at  Tonning,  where  after  a  preparation 
of  only  three  weeks  he  passed  the  examination  and 
received  a  master's  patent  or  diploma.  He  remained 
there  that  winter  as  assistant  instructor,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1848  shipped  in  a  Danish  vessel  for  Rio  de 
Janeiro  and  other  ports,  returning  to  Hamburg  in 
the  spring  of  1849.  He  then  went  to  Havre  de  Grace, 
and  then  to  New  York,  as  third  mate  of  the  Ameri- 
can ship  St.  Denis,  full  of  German  and  French  pas- 
sengers. He  coasted  all  summer  and  then  shipped 
as  seaman    on   the    Tuscarora  from    Philadelphia 


to  Liverpool.  On  the  return  voyage,  with  660  pas- 
sengers, they  stranded  about  midnight  in  a  severe 
storm  off  the  Delaware  coast,  south  of  Cape  Hen- 
lopen.  The  passengers  and  baggage  were  saved,  but 
the  poor  sailors  lost  everything  but  their  lives.  He 
went  to  Philadelphia  hatless  and  shoeless,  where  he 
declared  his  intention  to  become  a  citizen,  perfecting 
his  naturalization  in  August,  1851.  After  a  few 
weeks  he  embarked  in  the  bark  Venezuela,  in  the  trade 
to  Venezuela.  In  1850  he  joined  Empire  Lodge,  No. 
104,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  1851  he  went  as  second  mate  on  two 
voyages  to  Rio  de  Janeiro,  and  then  as  chief  mate  on 
the  brig  Calvert,  from  Baltimore  to  the  Atlantic 
ports.  He  was  taken  sick  on  board  and  left  the 
vessel  in  New  York,  and  was  for  a  few  weeks  in  the 
Staten  Island  hospital.  He  then  sailed  for  San 
Francisco  in  the  clipper  ship  Golden  Gate.  He  left 
New  York  about  the  first  of  November,  passed 
Cape  Horn  about  Christmas,  and  reached  San  Fran- 
cisco February  3,  1853.  He  went  up  the  coast  to 
Crescent  City  and  back  to  San  Francisco;  then  to 
Portland,  Oregon,  taking  on  a  load  of  lumber  at  St. 
Helens.  On  his  return  to  San  Francisco  he  left 
his  entire  sea  outfit,  books,  papers,  etc.,  in  charge 
of  a  supposed  friend,  and  started  for  the  mines  via 
Crescent  City  and  Smith  river,  with  little  money  and 
no  experience.  For  two  years  he  mined  with  pnor 
success  on  Smith  river,  Sailor  diggings,  Jacksonville, 
and  Cottonwood.  He  went  from  the  last  place  in 
1855  to  Scott  Bar,  where  he  worked  with  varying 
success  until  1872,  gaining  the  good-will  of  all  his 
neighbors.  Being  somewhat  crippled  by  a  sprained 
ankle,  he  resolved  to  become  a  school  teacher,  and 
prepared  himself  and  successfully  passed  a  rigid 
examination,  and  entered  upon  his  new  field  of  labor. 
He  taught  three  terms  at  Sciad,  one  at  Scott  Bar, 
Franklin  School  of  Scott  valley,  three  terms,  Union 
District  in  1879,  and  Cedar  Park  School  in  1880. 
As  a  resident  of  the  county  he  takes  great  interest 
in  all  that  tends  to  advance  the  prosperity  of  the 
people.  He  is  a  member  of  Evening  Star  Lodge, 
No.  186,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  at  Etna. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


157 


high,  not  a  Modoc  having  been  slain  in  the  battle. 
Old  Shacknasty's  Man  was  found  dead  in  the  cave, 
having  died  from  the  effects  of  the  wound  received  in 
the  other  battle.  The  head  was  cut  off  and  taken 
to  camp  and  claimed  to  be  the  head  of  John 
Schonchin.  This  was  soon  found  to  be  a  mistake 
by  those  familiar  with  that  warrior's  features. 

The  captured  fortifications  challenged  the  admi- 
ration of  the  military.  Across  the  main  plateau 
had  been  built  a  gallery,  commanding  the  approaches 
from  all  sides.  From  this  they  could  sweep  the 
ground  where  the  caves  were  for  five  hundred 
yards.  After  carrying  the  crags,  the  troops  had 
still  this  open  space  to  cross  before  they  reached  the 
stronghold,  a  feat  there  were  not  men  enough  there 
to  have  accomplished,  had  they  been  opposed. 
The  loss  of  life  here  would  have  been  fearful.  Fifty 
men  could  hold  this  place  against  a  thousand,  but 
the  "  double-shooting  guns  "  and  the  lack  of  water 
had  constrained  the  garrison  to  vacate,  which  they 
easily  did,  their  non-combatants  having  been  sent 
to  a  place  of  safety  several  days  before. 

The  whereabouts  of  the  savages  was  now  a  ques- 
tion of  great  interest,  not  only  to  the  soldiers  but 
to  the  settlers  for  miles  around.  So  long  as  they 
were  safely  cooped  up  in  the  caves,  they  ceased  to 
be  an  object  of  fear  to  the  people,  but  now  that 
they  were  again  an  unknown  quantity,  all  the 
former  uneasiness  and  anxiety  returned,  followed  by 
a  stampede  for  places  of  safety.  It  was  feared  they 
would  break  up  into  small  bands  and  commit  rav- 
ages in  many  places.  In  this  emergency  McKay's 
Warm  Spring  scouts  did  good  service.  They  soon 
found  that  the  hostiles  were  still  in  the  lava  beds, 
and  were  occupying  a  position  nearly  as  strong  as 
the  old  one,  and  about  six  miles  south  of  it.  The}'' 
did  not  remain  inactive,  but  emerged  from  their 
retreat  in  small  parties,  filing  upon  scouts  and 
couriers,  attacking  provision  trains,  and  even  firing 
into  headquarters.  Their  boldness  and  the  rapidity 
with  which  they  moved  from  point  to  point  com- 
pletely puzzled  and  nonplussed  the  military.  They 
maintained  that  two  thousand  men  would  not  be 
sufficient  to  surround  the  lava  beds  and  capture  the 
hostiles,  in  a  place  where  one  thousand  men  could 
lie  concealed  in  a  small  area,  and  where  the 
besieged  could  fly  to  new  strongholds  as  fast  as 
driven  from  the  old  ones.  More  troops  were  sent 
for,  and  the  government  began  to  realize  what  a 
contract  it  had  taken. 

As  it  was  every  one  knew  better  how  to  fight 
them  than  did  those  engaged  in  the  work,  and  there 
was  not  a  newspaper  editor  in  the  country  who  did 
not  tell  just  how  the  thing  could  and  should  b  e  done. 
The  "  phunny  man"  lapsed  into  innumerable  para- 
graphs and  some  even  descended  to  poetry.  The 
"  sweet  singers"  all  through  the  land  trained  their 
lyric  pens  on  the  event,  and  poetry  of  all  kinds, 
grave,  gay,  sarcastic,  blood-curdling  and  tear-pro- 
voking, crowded  the  newspaper  columns.  The  fol- 
lowing is  a  fair  sample  of  the  style  most  affected: 

LAVA-LINDEN'. 

In  Klamath,  when  the  sun  was  low, 
The'  lava  beds  held  Mr.  Lo, 
Who  dared  to  tight  and  wouldn't  go, 
For  all  the  Peace  Commissioners. 


In  truth  it  was  a  gallant  sight, 
To  see  a  thousand  men  of  might, 
With  gnus  and  cannons  day  and  night 
Fight  fifty  dirty  Indians. 

For  every  foot  of  lava  bed 

They  threw  a  pound  of  hissing  lead, 

A  ton  for  every  Modoc  head, 

In  three  days  roariug  battery. 

Fire,  Gillem,  all  thy  cannons  brave, 
Till  Scarf  ace  Charley,  in  his  cave, 
And  Captain  Jack  shall  find  his  grave, 
With  all  his  bloody  chivalry. 

We'll  bless  you  when  you've  killed  them  all, 
The  men  and  women  great  and  small, 
And  not  a  babe  is  left  to  squall 
Its  hatred  of  our  victory. 

For  this  is  Freedom's  chosen  land, 
The  heritage  of  all  that's  grand; 
And  the  millennium's  at  hand, 
So  great  is  our  humanity. 

Among  all  the  nonsensical  propositions  put  for- 
ward in  the  papers  there  was  one  good  one.  This 
was,  to  offer  a  reward  of  one  thousand  dollars  for 
each  Modoc  head.  There  were  plenty  of  men  who 
understood  how  to  fight  Indians,  who  could  have 
been  thus  induced  to  go  into  the  lava  beds  and  main- 
tain a  bushwhacking  war  with  them  until  they  were 
exterminated  or  surrendered,  the  troops  meanwhile 
scouting  around  the  outside  to  protect  the  settlers. 
This  seems  cruel,  but  it  was  far  less  cruel  than  the 
method  they  were  employing,  which  had  resulted  in 
nothing  but  the  death  of  more  soldiers  already  than 
there  were  Indians  engaged  in  the  fight.  From  a 
financial  point  of  view,  also,  it  would  have  been  a 
wise  course  to  pursue. 

Although  Major  Thomas  had  done  good  work 
with  his  artillery,  he  thought  that  he  was  too  inac- 
tive, and  solicited  command  of  a  reconnoitering  expe- 
dition. He  was  given  command  of  a  force  that 
started  on  the  morning  of  the  twenty-sixth  of  April 
towards  the  Sand  Butte  cave.  There  were  in  all 
sixty-six  officers  and  men,  Major  Evan  Thomas,  in 
charge  of  the  force,  Batteries  A  and  K,  Fourth 
Artillery,  Lieutenants  Albian  Howe  and  Arthur 
Cranston,  Lieutenant  Harris,  Company  E,  Twelfth 
Infantry,  Col.  T.  F.  Wright,  Assistant  Surgeon  B. 
Senig  with  assistants. 

The  command  advanced  towards  the  Modoc  camp 
until  noon,  when  they  halted  for  dinner  in  a  small 
hollow  or  sage-brush  plain.  On  one  side  was  quite 
a  high  hill  of  scoria,  about  five  hundred  yards  long, 
extending  east  and  west.  On  the  east  end  of  this 
was  a  long  ridge  of  lava  rock,  while  on  the  west  end 
were  masses  of  rocks.  It  was  between  these  two  that 
the  command  commenced  to  take  its  noonday  meal. 
The  Indians  were  secreted  in  the  lava  ridge  on  the 
east  and  in  an  old  crater  in  front  of  the  hill.  The 
Indians  had  hidden  themselves  when  they  observed 
the  approach  of  the  soldiers.  The  officers  were  con- 
gratulating themselves  upon  having  seen  no  Indians, 
and  a  signal  corporal  was  sent  to  the  ridge  on  the 
right  to  signal  headquarters.  They  had  advanced 
but  a  short  distance  when  they  were  fired  upon, 
while  at  the  same  time  a  volley  was  poured  in  from 
the  left  upon  the  soldi. 'is  who  were  munching  their 
rations.  Great  was  the  confusion  caused  by  this 
unexpected  attack.  Colonel  Wright  ordered  a  por- 
tion of  Company  E  to  fall  rapidly  back  and  occupy 


158 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


the  ridge  below,  to  cover  the  retreat  of  the  troops. 
A  party  of  Modocs,  however,  had  anticipated  this 
movement  and  occupied  the  position,  pouring  from 
it  a  deadly  fire  upon  the  detachment.  Completely 
surrounded  now,  the  troops  abandoned  all  discipline, 
and  each  one  sought  safety  for  himself.  Some  sue- 
ceeded  in  fleeing  beyond  the  range  of  bullets  and 
hastened  towards  camp,  while  others  gathered  in 
little  parties  in  hollows  among  the  rocks,  and  fought 
desperately  all  the  day. 

McKay's  Warm  Spring  Indians  were  a  few  miles 
distant,  and  hastened  to  the  rescue  ^f.  the  doomed 
band ;  but  upon  their  approach  were  fired  upon  by 
both  par_tijg,  and. dared  not  advance. »  The  Indians 
continued  to  pour  their  fire  into  t%e  ltollows  occu- 
pied by  the  men,  being  so  close  that  they  even 
threw  rocks  at  them,  until  they  supposed  all  were 
killed.  Only  one  Modoc  lost  his  life  in  this  affair. 
A  private,  named  Benham,  lay  in  a  hole  with  sev- 
eral dead  men  around  him,  and  heard  an  Indian 
call  out  for  them  to  come  and  fight  like  men,  and 
also,  "Boys,  come  out  and  go  home;  we  don't  want 
to  kill  all  of  you."  Getting  no  response,  the  savage 
stepped  boldly  out  from  his  hiding  place,  and  was 
laid  low  by  a  bullet  from  Benham's  rifle.  The 
soldier  was  instantly  fired  upon  and  mortally 
wounded.  This  was  Indian  Ike,  who  had  killed 
no  one  that  day,  and  in  his  eagerness  to  shoot  this 
soldier  had  pushed  ahead  of  Hooka  Jim,  and  met 
his  death  in  consequence.- 

From  the  beginning  the  firing  could  be  heard  at 
the  camp,  and  about  two  o'clock  stragglers  began 
to  arrive  with  the  intelligence  that  Thomas  had 
been  defeated,  and  cut  to  pieces.  Major  Green  was 
at  once  dispatched  with  a  force  to  the  scene  of 
trouble,  but  owing  to  a  want  of  knowledge  of  the 
ground  and  situation  of  the  combatants,  did  not 
arrive  until  daylight.  The  Indians  had  effected 
their  retreat,  and  the  troops  could  do  nothing  but 
look  after  the  dead  and  wounded.  All  the  officers 
but  Lieutenant  Harris  were  killed,  and  he  died  a 
few  days  later.  Surgeon  Senig  was  wounded,  and 
suffered  the  amputation  of  his  foot.  Lieutenant 
Cranston  and  five  men  were  found  lying  dead  in  a 
hole,  several  clays  after  the  fight.  There  were 
twenty-five  killed  and  seventeen  wounded,  among 
the  former  being  Louis  Webber,  of  Scott  valley, 
who  was  with  the  surgeon. 

On  the  third  of  May,  General  Jefferson  C.  Davis, 
who  had  been  assigned  to  succeed  General  Canby, 
arrived  and  took  charge  of  operations  in  person. 
He  was  an  able  and  energetic  officer,  and  enthused 
the  troops  with  new  energy  and  courage.  They 
sadly  needed  it,  for  they  had  lost  all  confidence  in 
their  officers,  who  simply  led  them  out  to  be  slaught- 
ered, without  accomplishing  anything. 

On  the  seventh  of  May,  a  wagon  train,  escorted 
by  fifteen  men,  was  attacked  by  the  Modocs,  seven 
miles  from  headquarters,  and  in  the  rear  of  Colonel 
Mason's  camp.  Three  men  were  wounded,  seven- 
teen animals  captured,  and  the  wagons  bm-ned, 
before  assistance  arrived.  The  same  day  McKay's 
scouts  penetrated  to  the  new  stronghold  and  found 
it  deserted.  They  saw  the  remains  of  twenty-five 
camp-fires,  a  natural  cistern,  from  which  the  water 
had  been  exhausted,  this  being  the  probable  cause 
of    the   evacuation,    and   the   trail    of  the  savages 


leading  south  towards  the  Snow  mountains.  This 
was  a  move  that  had  long  been  feared,  and  great 
exertions  were  made  to  head  them  off.  On  the  night 
of  the  ninth,  Captains  Hasbrouck  and  Jackson,  with 
one  hundred  and  twenty  cavalry  and  the  Warm 
Spring  Indians,  camped  about  twenty-five  miles 
from  headquarters  and  south-east  of  the  lava  beds, 
near  Saras  or  Dry  lake. 

During  the  night,  the  Modocs,  who  were  hovering 
in  the  vicinity,  thirty-four  strong,  leaving  their 
horses  some  distance  in  the  rear,  crept  cautiously  up 
to  the  camp.  Just  as  day  was  breaking  they  fired 
into  the  camp,  killing  one  soldier  and  wounding 
eight.  They  expected  to  stampede  this  force  as 
..they  had  that  of  Major  Thomas,  and  to  aid  in  this 
had  sent  a  small  detachment  to  cut  off  a  pack-train 
that  was  bringing  them  water.  This  movement 
failed,  and  \^was  followed  by  a  quarrel  which 
resulted  in  the  division  of  the  hostiles  a  few  days 
later.  The  Warm  Springs,  headed  by  McKay, 
rushed  up  on  the  flank,  and  saluted  the  astonished 
Modocs  with  a  volley.  Crying  out,  "  The  Warm 
Springs !  The  Warm  Springs !  "  they  fled,  closely 
pursued  by  the  scouts  and  troopers,  who  kept  them 
running  until  after  dark.  So  hotly  were  they  pur- 
sued that  they  had  not  time  to  get  their  horses, 
which  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  pursuers.  Some  of 
them  were  loaded  with  ammunition,  and  a;  this  was 
supposed  to  be  their  reserve  supply,  it  was  thought, 
as  it  afterwards  proved,  that  this  loss  deprived  the 
hostiles  of  the  sinews  of  war.  One  Warm  Spring 
and  one  Modoc,  Ellen's  Man,  were  killed. 

Troops  were  stationed  in  the  lava  beds  to  prevent 
them  from  regaining  their  old  strongholds,  and  the 
next  day  Captain  Hasbrouck  and  McKay  ran  them 
into  a  rocky  fastness  some  twenty  miles  south-west 
of  the  original  stronghold,  where  Hasbrouck  endeav- 
ored  to  keep  them  while  he  sent  for  reinforcements 
and  mortars  to  shell  them  out.  For  several  days  a 
brisk  skirmish  fire  was  maintained.  The  place  was 
then  surrounded  and  the  troops  closed  in,  only  to 
find  for  the  third  time  that  their  prey  had  eluded 
them.  The  entire  cavalry  force  was  then  sent  out 
to  scour  the  country  and  find  Captain  Jack,  who 
had  developed  so  strongly  the  qualities  of  the  Irish- 
man's flea ;  three  times  had  they  put  their  hand  on 
him,  "  and  he  wasn't  there." 

While  these  events  were  happening,  Colonel  Gil- 
lem  was  superseded  by  Colonel  Wheaton  as  second 
in  command,  a  tardy  acknowledgment  of  the  injus- 
tice done  the  latter  by  his  removal  after  the  January 
fight. 

A  trail  was  found  leading  towards  Sheep  mount- 
ain, and  while  the  lava  beds  wrere  closely  guarded 
to  prevent  them  from  regaining  a  position  there, 
Captain  Hasbrouck  followed  them,  coming  up  with 
and  attacking  them  at  the  Hole  in  the  Ground,  a 
few  miles  from  Fairchilds'  ranch,  killing  an  old 
squaw  named  Limpy.  They  fled  to  Indian  Springs 
and  sent  in  word  that  they  would  surrender  to  Fair- 
childs if  he  would  promise  them  their  lives.  Having 
satisfied  them  on  this  point,  Fairchilds  went  out  four 
miles,  on  the  twenty-second  of  May,  and  brought 
them  in.  They  proved  to  be  mainly  the  Hot  Creek 
band,  seventy  in  all,  sixteen  braves,  of  whom  the 
principal  ones  were,  Shacknasty  Jim,  Hooka  Jim, 
Bogus  Charley,  Bill  Shacknasty,  Steamboat  Frank. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


159 


Curley-Headed  Doctor,  Curley-Headed  Jack,  Watch- 
in-tate,  William,  and  Little  John.  They  were  cold, 
hungry,  and  nearly  naked,  having  fought  until  it 
was  impossible  to  hold  out  longer. 

They  said  that  Jack,  with  twenty  men,  had  gone 
towards  the  Pit  river  and  Goose  lake  country,  and 
Major  Green,  with  two  detachments,  commanded  by 
Captain  Jackson  and  Captain  Hasbrouck,  was  sent 
by  two  routes  to  the  country  east  of  the  lava  beds. 
Headquarters  were  moved  to  the  peninsula  on  the 
east  side  of  Tide  lake,  known  as  Boyles  camp,  and 
the  captured  Indians  were  also  taken  thither. 

And  now  comes  an  example  of  the  beauty  of  the 
Indian,  and  especially  of  the  Modoc,  character. 
Bogus  Charley,  Hooka  Jim,  Shacknasty  Jim  and 
Steamboat  Frank,  agreed  to  assist  in  the  capture  of 
their  late  companions  if  they  were  guaranteed 
immunity  from  punishment.  Hooka  Jim  and  Bogus 
Charley  were  the  two  worst  Indians  in  the  tribe,  the 
former  being  the  leader  in  the  Lost  river  murders, 
as  well  as  assisting  in  the  massacre  of  the  peace  com- 
missioners, who  were  so  treacherously  led  to  their 
death  by  Bogus.  These  Indians,  with  General 
Davis  and  John  A.  Fairchilds,  reached  Green's  camp, 
seventy-five  miles  east  of  the  old  headquarters,  May 
26th,  and  the  next  day  the  Modocs  were  sent  out 
upon  a  scout.  They  returned  the  day  after  with  the 
information  that  Jack  and  his  band  were  on  Willow 
creek,  twenty  miles  to  the  eastward. 

The  commands  of  Captain  Jackson  and  Captain 
Hasbrouck  were  sent  out  after  them.  With  the 
former  were  Fairchilds,  McKay,  twenty-eight  Warm 
Springs  and  two  of  the  renegade  Modocs.  With 
Hasbrouck  were  twenty  Warm  Springs  and  the 
other  two  traitors.  Arriving  at  the  creek  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  commands  separated, 
Jackson  going  up  the  right  bank,  and  Hasbrouck 
up  the  left.  As  Jackson  arrived  on  the  ground 
first,  the  Modocs  succeeded  in  crossing  the  river  and 
making  their  escape,  the  bluffs  preventing  pursuit 
by  the  cavalry.  Jack's  sister,  Mary,  and  six  squaws 
were  captured  here,  and  Boston  Charley  came  in 
and  surrendered. 

In  the  morning  the  trail  of  the  fugitives  was 
found  and  followed  by  the  Indians  and  troops  for 
twenty-seven  miles,  the  Modocs  being  overtaken  at 
dusk  on  the  bluffs  at  the  head  of  Langell  valley. 
The  troops  charged  up  the  slope,  when  the  Indians 
came  out  and  said  they  wanted  to  surrender. 
Scarface  Charley  came  into  the  lines,  gave  up  his 
gun,  and  asked  permission  to  go  back  for  his  family, 
Major  Green  granted  this,  telling  him  to  have  the 
others  come  in  or  he  would  charge  them,  and  then 
went  into  camp  for  the  night.  Doctor  Cabaniss  and 
Boston  accompanied  Scarface,  the  Doctor  soon 
returning  with  the  report  that  the  Indians  were 
afraid  to  come  through  the  lines  in  the  dark,  but 
would  do  so  in  the  morning.  When  morning  came, 
however,  only  Scarface,  Boston;  Schonchin,  and 
eight  others,  with  their  families,  were  there.  Cap- 
tain Jack  and  the  others  having  departed  for  other 
scenes.  His  lease  of  liberty  was  short,  having  fled 
directly  towards  a  detachment  under  Captain  Ferry, 
that  had  been  sent  out  to  cut  off  retreat  to  the 
south.  With  Perry  were  Warm  Spring  George  and 
four  others  of  McKay's  scouts,  who  captured  a 
Modoc  scout  about  three  miles  from  where  Jack  had 


been  surprised  on  Willow  creek.  He  said  that  the 
chief  was  near  by,  who,  upon  being  called  upon, 
came  out  with  one  other  and  surrendered. 

A  few  others  were  still  at  liberty,  and  these,  with 
a  number  of  scattered  ones  who  had  not  partic- 
ipated in  the  hostilities  were  soon  taken  and  con- 
veyed to'Boyles  camp  on  Tule  lake.  On  the  fourth 
of  June,  more  that  six  months  after  the  first  tight, 
the  Oregon  volunteers  captured  Black  Jim  and  four 
other  braves,  with  lour  squaws  ami  four  children, 
ten  miles  east  of  Lost  River  springs.  These  were 
turned  over  to  General  Davis,  and  the  great  Modoc 
war  was  at  an  end. 

General  Davis  sent  out  into  the  woods,  and  had 
twenty  juniper  logs  cut  and  trimmed  for  the  purpose 
of  hanging  some  of  the  leaders,  but  before  the 
preparations  were  completed  a  courier  arrived  from 
Yreka,  with  dispatches  from  Washington,  ordering 
him  to  hold  the  prisoners  until  charges  could  be 
investigated.  A  few  days  later,  he  was  instructed 
to  try  them  by  court-martial. 

According  to  the  report  of  the  Indians  they  had 
but  forty-six  men  capable  of  bearing  arms  when 
the  war  commenced.  Five  braves,  two  boys,  and 
three  squaws  lost  their  lives.  Opposite  these  figures 
can  be  placed  the  statement  that  mure  that  one 
hundred  and  fifty  soldiers  were  killed  and  wounded, 
three  for  every  Indian  in  the  fight,  and  the  secretary 
of  war  reported  that  the  war  had  cost  8338,009.78, 
exclusive  of  pay  and  equipment  of  troops.  After 
this  report  was  made  a  great  many  claims  were 
allowed,  and  there  still  exists  claims  amounting  to 
thousands  that  never  will  be  liquidated. 

On  the  seventh  of  June,  the  few  remaining  Indians 
of  the  Hot  Creek  band,  consisting  chiefly  of  old 
men  and  squaws  to  the  number  of  seventeen,  were 
conveyed  from  Fairchilds'  ranch  to  Boyles  camp. 
John  A.  Fairchilds  and  a  number  of  citizens,  with 
Bogus  Charley  and  Shacknasty  Jim,  were  mounted 
and  rode  on  ahead,  while  James  Fairchilds  followed 
with  the  Indians  in  a  wagon.  The  escort  soon  left 
the  wagon  far  behind,  and  when  James  Fairchilds 
arrived  at  the  crossing  of  Lost  river,  he  met  Cap- 
tain Heiser's  company  of  Oregon  volunteers,  who 
demanded  Hooka  Jim.  They  were  told  he  was  in 
Boyle's  camp.  A  distance  farther  on  two  dis- 
guised men  stepped  into  the  road,  one  in  the  rear  and 
one  in  front,  presenting  their  rifles,  and  ordering 
Fairchilds  to  stop. 

"  Get  down  from  there,  you  old  white-headed 
reprobate,"  said  the  man  in  front. 

"  By  what  authority';" 

The  man's  authority  was  not  as  good  as  that 
given  by  bluff  old  Ethan  Allen.,  when  the  same  ques- 
tion was  asked  him  at  Fort  Ticondi  roga,  for  he  said, 
"  By  mine.  I'm  going  to  kid  these  Indians  and 
you,  too." 

He  then  unfastened  tin-  mules  from  the  wagon, 
and  Fairchilds  leaped  feo  the  ground,  still  holding  the 

reins  in  his  hand.     The  women  implored   Eor  icy. 

but  the  men  utten      i  word.     At   the  first  shot, 

which  killed  Little  John,  the  mules  ran,  dragging 
Fairchilds  with  them  by  the  reins,  in  which  he  waa 
entangled.     Five  more  3hots  were  rapidly  fired,  and 

Teche  Jack,  Policy,  and  .Mooch  were  killed,  and  a 
squaw  severely  wounded.  At  this  point  the  men 
were  frightened  away,  and  tic  balance  of  the  women 


160 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


and  children  were  conveyed   to  the  camp  in  safety. 

No  investigation  was  ever  made  of  this  cowardly 
and  brutal  murder,  and  the  matter  was  hushed  and 
covered  up  as  much  as  possible.  Yet  the  fact 
remains,  and  has  scarcely  a  palliation.  If  there  is 
one  it  is  that  the  settlers  murdered  were  citizens  of 
Oregon,  that  the  grand  jury  of  Jackson  county 
had  indicted  nine  of  the  Indians  for  murder,  and 
that  the  military  authorities  refused  to  deliver  them 
up  for  trial,  claiming  them  as  prisoners  of  war. 
This  is.  however,  but  a  faint  excuse,  as  the  murdered 
Indians  belonged  to  the  Hot  Creek  band,  and  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  killing  of  the  settlers. 

The  governor  of  Oregon  forwarded  the  following 
communication  to  Washington: — 

Executive  Office,  Salem,  Okec40n,  June  4,  1S73. 

Secretary  of  War,  Washington,  D.  C. :  As  to  the  Modoe 
outlaws  now  in  the  custody  of  the  United  States  military  author- 
ities, I  most  respectfully  request,  that  those  now  standing 
indicted  in  the  Circuit  Court  of  Jackson  county,  for  the  crime  of 
murder,  who  are  not  amenable  to  military  execution,  be  delivered 
to  the  civil  authorities  of  this  State  for  trial  and  punishment.  If 
they  have  a  legal  defense,  based  either  upon  amuesty  or  denial  of 
their  guilt,  let  the  defense  be  pleaded  before  the  proper  tribunal. 

L.  F.  Grover, 

Governor  of  Oregon. 

The  war  department  declined  to  do  as  requested, 
claiming  the  right  to  dispose  of  the  prisoners  by 
military  authority. 

The  camp  and  prisoners  were  moved  to  Fort 
Klamath,  General  Wheaton  being  left  in  charge, 
while  the  majority  of  the  troops  were  sent  to  the 
various  posts  from  whence  they  had  come.  Curley- 
Headed  Jack,  against  whom  there  was  no  charge  of 
murder,  secured  a  pistol  and  committed  suicide. 

The  court-martial  for  the  trial  of  the  murderers 
of  the  peace  commissioners  was  finally  formed,  and 
consisted  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  Elliott,  First  Cav- 
alry; Captain  Mendenhall,  Fourth  Artillery,  Captain 
Hasbrouck,  Fourth  Artillery;  Captain  Pollock,  Firstr 
Cavalry;  Lieutenant  Kingsbury,  Twelfth  Infantry; 
and  Maj.  H.  G.  Curtis,  Judge  Advocate. 

The  leading  witnesses  were  Meacham,  who  had 
fully  recovered  from  his  wounds,  and  Frank  Riddle 
and  wife.  The  trial  lasted  from  the  fifth  to  the  ninth 
of  July.  Captain  Jack,  Schonchin  John,  Boston 
Charley,  Black  Jim,  Watch-in-tate  (misnamed  Barn- 
cho),  and  Slolux  were  found  guilty  and  sentenced 
to  be  executed.  Of  the  others,  Hooka  Jim,  Bogus 
Charley  and  Shacknasty  Jim  were  entitled  to  their 
lives  for  the  services  rendered  in  capturing  their 
companions,  while  Ellen's  Man  had  already  met  his 
death  in  battle. 

The  finding  of  the  court  was  approved,  and 
October  3d,  was  appointed  for  the  execution  of  the 
sentence. 

Captain  Jack  did  not  want  to  die.  He  claimed, 
and  with  truth,  that  he  had  been  forced  into  the 
murder  by  the  others,  the  worst  two  of  whom, 
Hooka  Jim  and  Bogus  Charley,  were  not  to  be  pun- 
ished. It  was  not  justice,  and  he  thought  they 
should  take  his  place.  He  even  went  so  far  as  to 
offer  the  post  of  distinction  to  a  minister  who  had 
been  telling  him  how  glorious  he  would  find  the 
happy  hunting  grounds  to  be,  and  how  glad  he 
would  feel  to  reach  them.  Jack  said  that  if  he 
thought  so  he  could  take  his  place,  but  the  minister 
declined  the  honor. 


On  the  day  before  the  execution,  the  sentence  of 
Watch-in-tate  and  Slolux  was  commuted  to  impris- 
onment for  life  in  Alcatraz,  on  the  ground  that  they 
were  acting  under  orders.  They  both  died  in  con- 
finement. At  the  time  set,  General  Wheaton  exe- 
cuted the  sentence  at  Fort  Klamath,  upon  Captain 
Jack,  Schonchin  John.  Black  Jim,  and  Boston  Char- 
ley, in  the  presence  of  two  hundred  soldiers,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  citizens,  three  hundred  Klamaths, 
and  the  Modocs.  Thus,  as  he  had  said,  did  Jack's 
life  pay  for  the  sins  of  his  people. 

The  sheriff  of  Jackson  county  made  application 
to  General  Wheaton  for  the  surrender  of  the  Lost 
river  murderers,  but  it  was  denied.  October  4th, 
Judge  P.  P.  Prim  issued  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus, 
upon  which  return  was  made  by  General  Wheaton 
that  the  men  were  held  by  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment as  prisoners  of  war,  and  the-  court  had  no 
authority  to  issue  a  habeas  corpus. 

This  ended  the  clash  of  authority,  and  soon  after 
orders  were  received  to  move  the  Modocs  to  Fort 
Russell,  Wyoming  Territory.  One  hundred  and 
fifty-five,  including  forty-two  men,  were  taken  upon 
this  order  by  Captain  Hasbrouck,  the  Indians  who 
had  remained  peaceably  on  the  reservation  with 
Old  Schonchin,  being  allowed  to  stay  there,  and  are 
there  yet. 

Scarface  Charley,  the  best  educated  and  the  most 
civilized  of  them  all,  was  invested  with  the  chief- 
tainship. Before  they  arrived  at  their  destination, 
it  was  changed,  and  they  were  located  upon  four 
thousand  acres  in  the  north-east  corner  of  the  Shaw- 
nee reservation,  in  Indian  Territory.  A  school  was 
established  among  them,  agricultural  implements 
were  furnished,  and  though  they  have  considerably 
diminished  by  death,  they  have  since  lived  peaceable 
and  industrious  lives,  raising  nearly  enough  food 
for  their  own  support. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

TRANSPORTATION. 


When  Siskiyou  was  first  settled  the  nearest 
approach  to  a  road  was  the  old  Hudson  Bay  trail, 
leading  up  the  Sacramento  river  through  Shasta 
valley,  across  the  Klamath,  and  over  Siskiyou 
moutain  into  Oregon.  Wagons  had  never  been  over 
this  trail,  except  six  that  Lindsay  Applegate  piloted 
as  far  as  Wagon  valley,  in  1849,  and  the  one  taken 
to  the  same  point  by  Governor  Lane  in  1850.  From 
there  to  Sacramento  valley  a  wagon  wheel  had  never 
made  a  track.  Into  this  unknown  wilderness  of 
forest  and  mountain  chasms,  the  prospector  plunged 
with  as  much  confidence  as  if  on  an  open  plain, 
undeterred  by  the  fear  of  Indians  well  known  to  be 
hostile.  In  the  spring,  the  few  pioneer  prospectors 
were  followed  by  an  immense  throng  from  north, 
south,  and  west.  'They  came  down  from  Oregon,  up 
the  Sacramento  river,  and  over  Trinity,  Scott,  and 
the  Salmon  mountains.  Each  company  was  well 
supplied  with  provisions  and  tools,  packed  on  the 
backs  of  mules.  Several  persons  had  also  brought 
up  regular  pack-trains,  among  whom  were  Maj.  E. 
P.  Rowe,  and  John  and  William  Burgess,  and  John 
Haislip.  When  gold  was  discovered  in  March  at 
Yreka,  these  trains  started  for  Shasta  for  a  new  sup- 


A^s*.- 


-  ■•?&*■ 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


GEORGE  SMITH, 

Of  Scott  valley,  is  of  English  birth  and  ancestry, 
being  the  son  of  William  Smith  of  Langford,  Bed- 
fordshire, England.  George  was  born  at  Hartford 
Hill  July  17,  1825.  In  his  second  year  his  parents 
moved  to  LaDgford,  where  George  resided  until 
1842.  In  that  year  he  came  to  America  on  the  ship 
Cornelia,  being  forty-two  days  on  the  voyage,  and 
arriving  in  New  York  in  the  summer.  He  went  at 
once  to  Hartford,  Connecticut,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming  and  butchering  till  the  fall  of  1847,  when 
he  removed  to  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin.  He  was 
butchering  there  for  several  months,  when  in  1848 
the  first  news  was  received  of  the  gold  discoveries 
in  California.  He  resolved  to  come  to  the  coast  but 
it  was  the  spring  of  '49  before  he  could  close  out  his 
business  satisfactorily  and  leave.  He  then  joined  a 
party  and  came  across  the  plains  with  the  usual  ox- 
team,  leaving  Milwaukee  March  5th,  and  arriving 
at  Lassen's  ranch  on  the  fifth  of  October,  after  many 
difficulties  and  trials  by  the  way,  having  been  seven 
months  en  route.  The  party  then  divided  up  their 
effects,  and  Mr.  Smith  with  one  other  went  to  Dry- 
town,  east  of  Sacramento,  and  engaged  in  mining. 
In  the  spring  of  1850  he  went  to  Calaveras  with 
others  and  mined  till  July  1st.  On  account  of  bad 
water  and  other  disadvantages  Mr.  Smith  and  friends 
moved  to  Nevada  City,  and  a  few  days  later  jour- 
neyed along  Deer  creek,  to  what  was  at  that  time 
known  as  Anthony's,  and  in  company  with  nine 
others  who  had  come  overland  with  him  the  year 
previous,  began  mining  again.  In  a  few  weeks  they 
went  to  Frenchtown,  west  branch  of  Feather  river, 
from  thence  to  Marysville  and  again  to  Canyon 
creek,  sixteen  miles  above  Downieville,  where  with 
ten  others  he  mined  till  September  of  1851.  Then 
the  party  broke  up  and  ten  of  the  number  went 
east  via  Panama.  Mr.  Smith  was  absent  from  the 
coast  five  months,  but  returned  to  San  Francisco 
April  1,  1852.  During  his  first  trip  he  had  been 
quite  successful  and  while  east  had  deposited  his 
funds  in  a  savings  bank  at  Hartford.  On  his  return 
went  at  once  to  the  Salmon  river  country  where  he 
spent  four  months  mining.  Being  tired  of  a  miner's 
life  he  came  to  Scott  valley  with  the  intention  of 
farming,  and  with  George  H.  Cain  and  James 
Stevens,  purchased  the  ranch,  a  part  of  which  he 
still  owns  and  occupies.  The  other  parties  sold  out 
to  Mr.  Smith  afterwards  and  he  remained.  In  1858 
he  returned  to  Hartford,  Connecticut,  his  business 
being  managed  in  his  absence  by  Mr.  Morgan,  and 
was  married  to  Miss  Cleopatra  H.  Fairbrother,  a 
native  of  Vermont.  Six  children  have  been  born 
to  them,  as  follows  :  Minnie  E.,  the  first  girl  born 
in  the  vicinity  of  Etna  ;  George  F.,  Georgiana  M. ; 
William,  (deceased);  Nina  Maud,  and  one  who  died 
in  infancy.  Smith's  attention  has  been  chiefly  given 
to  his  large  and  lucrative  farming  interests,  but  he 
invested  somewhat  in  outside  business  in  1854-55. 
He  was  interested  in  the  erection  of  the  Rough  and 
Ready  mill,  which  in  later  years  he  owned  entire  ; 
and  also  purchased  the  mill  at  old  Etna  from  N.  D. 
Julien  after  the  death  of  his  nephew  Neuschwander, 
which  property  he  afterwards  sold.  He  has  been 
engaged  in  quartz  and  placer  mining  more  or  less 
since  living  on  his  farm.  He  is  now  interested  in 
the  Steamboat  mine  on  McAdams  creek  and  in  sev- 


eral other  claims.  In  1879  he  went  east  for  the 
second  time  with  his  family  and  while  there  took  a 
trip  to  Europe  with  his  daughter  Minnie,  who  had 
graduated  at  Newark,  Delaware.  His  son  George 
F.  attended  the  Napa  collegiate  institute  for  a  time. 
Their  farm  is  beautiful  and  very  productive  and 
they  have  highly  developed  its  resources.  Mr.  Smith 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Evening  Star  Lodge, 
No.  186,  and  also  of  the  Eastern  Star  Chapter,  to 
which  his  wife  also  belongs. 


IGNACE  WAGNER 


Is  the  fifth  child  of  Antone  and  Katrina  Wagner, 
of  Alsace,  Germany.  Young  Wagner  was  reared 
by  his  parents  on  a  farm  until  about  sixteen  years  of 
age,  when  he  hired  out  as  a  coachman  and  general 
laborer.  This  occupation  he  followed  for  about  five 
years,  when  he  was  seized  with  a  mania  to  emigrate 
to  the  United  States.  On  the  twenty-second  of 
April,  1849,  he  sailed  from  Havre  de  Grace  to  New 
Orleans,  landing  June  8th  of  the  same  year.  Here  he 
was  employed  by  an  omnibus  line  for  nearly  three 
years.  In  1852,  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  February, 
he  started,  via  Aspinwall,  for  San  Francisco.  This 
was  a  trip  attended  with  much  trouble,  he  being 
en  route  105  days.  The  ticket  he  purchased  cost  him 
$200,  but  it  turned  out  to  be  a  counterfeit  and  only 
carried  him  to  the  east  end  of  the  railroad.  He 
paid  thirteen  dollars  for  the  ten  miles  by  rail  and  then 
footed  it  from  there  to  Panama.  From  there  he 
shipped  again  in  the  ship  Russell,  and  paid  §142.50, 
which  liberal  endowment  got  him  to  Acapulco. 
Here  he  waited  three  weeks  or  more,  when  he  took 
passage  on  the  steamer  Winfield  Scott,  from  around 
the  Horn,  paying  seventy  dollars  more,  and  finally 
landed  in  San  Francisco  with  only  one  bit  in  his 
pocket,  having  lived  on  one  pint  of  water  and  a 
cracker  per  day  for  the  last  fourteen  daj's.  He 
borrowed  some  ruoney  from  friends  at  San  Fran- 
cisco and  went  at  once  to  middle  fork  of  the  Ameri- 
can river,  where  he  worked  at  mining  for  two 
months,  and  then  began  to  mine  for  himself.  He 
soon  removed  to  Hangtown  (Placerville)  and  mined 
there.  On  the  sixteenth  of  September,  1854,  he 
started  from  San  Francisco  for  Europe  by  steamer 
California.  He  had  been  quite  successful  at  mining, 
having  accumulated  85,500.  Arriving  at  his  native 
home  in  Germany  he  gave  his  father  some  financial 
help,  remained  a  few  months,  and  on  the  twenty- 
fourth  of  April,  1855,  sailed  for  the  United  States 
ao'ain.  Proceeding  to  Placerville,  in  this  State,  he 
erected  a  hotel,  which  was  consumed  in  the  fire  of 
July,  185(3.  He  then  removed  to  Siskiyou  county 
and  mined  three  years.  In  1858  he  began  farming 
on  the  Swain  place,  now  owned  by  Hans  Hansen. 
In  1874  he  purchased  his  present  place  of  residence, 
then  containing  280  acres,  to  which  he  has  since 
added  200  acres  more.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  farms 
in  the  valley,  being  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation, 
containing  out-buildings  for  grain  and  stock,  with 
good  and  close  fences.  Mr.  Wagner  was  married 
the  fifteenth  of  October,  1865,  to  Miss  Mary  Lich- 
tenthaler,  daughter  of  George  and  Barbara  (Fouchs) 
Lichtenthaler,  also  of  Alsace,  who  emigrated  to 
America  in  1860,  residing  in  New  York  two  years, 
and   subsequently  in   San   Francisco,  where   their 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


daughter  was  wedded  to  Mr.  Wagner.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wagner  have  had  six  children,  born  as  follows : 
George  I.,  December  26,  1866;  Mary  A.,  August  10, 
1868;  Frank  R.,  October  4,  1869;  William  B.,  May 
11,  1871;  Emma  K.,  April  22,  1873;  John  A,  March 
4,  1877.     All  are  yet  living  with  their  parents. 


JULIEN  NEUSCHWANDER  (N.  D.  JUL1EN.) 

Mr.  Julien,  as  he  is  commonly  called,  was  one  of 
seven  children  of  Louis  and  Fanchette  (Bissae)  Neu- 
schwander,  both  of  Switzerland.  He  first  saw  the 
light  on  a  farm  near  Echallens,  county  de  Vaud, 
where  he  attended  school  in  his  younger  days.  At 
the  age  of  eleven  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  butcher  in 
Echallens,  with  whom  he  worked  at  his  trade  during 
the  day  and  went  to  school  in  the  evening.  In  1830 
he  went  to  Soleure,  Switzerland,  where  he  remained 
six  years  and  learned  the  German  language.  He 
afterwards  worked  in  various  places,  took  a  nine 
months'  tour  through  France,  and  in  1844  started 
from  Havre  for  America.  Forty-four  days'  passage 
sufficed  to  land  him  in  Boston.  His  fellow-passengers 
being  mostly  Germans,  they  were  received  with 
great  enthusiasm  at  Boston,  that  city  having  seen 
no  emigrant  ship  for  twenty-one  years.  From  Bos- 
ton he  went  to  Buffalo,  thence  by  steamer  to  Mil- 
waukee, passing  through  a  fearful  storm  and  losing 
two  men  overboard.  Remaining  there  six  weeks  he 
went  to  Chicago,  where  he  was  sick  until  the  fol- 
lowing spring.  Recovering,  he  visited,  in  1845,  St. 
Louis  and  Galena,  Illinois,  going  into  business  at 
the  latter  place  where  he  remained  four  years.  In 
February,  1849,  he  began  a  journey  which  finally 
landed  him  in  San  Francisco,  going  by  way  of  New 
Orleans  and  the  Isthmus.  Much  time  and  money 
were  consumed  in  making  this  trip.  The  party  he 
was  with  paid  $300  each  for  tickets  from  Panama 
and  were  ninety  days  in  making  that  part  of  the 
voyage.  From  San  Francisco  they  went  to  Sacra- 
mento, thence  to  Rose  Bar,  on  the  Yuba,  where  he 
prospected  a  few  weeks  and  then  started  a  store 
with  another  party  who  teamed  back  and  forth 
from  Sacramento.  They  were  successful  here  and 
left  the  place  with  $8,000  each.  He  then  engaged  in 
various  pursuits  and  built  a  hotel  at  Nicolaus  which 
cost  $14,000.  In  June,  1850,  he  went  to  Lower 
California  with  an  old  mountaineer  to  buy  sheep, 
but  returned  without  any.  Next  he  went  to  Guay- 
mas,  Mexico,  for  horses  and  had  great  difficulty  in 
getting  them  through.  He  settled  in  Siskiyou 
county  in  1851  on  a  ranch  in  Shasta  valley.  That 
summer  a  great  deal  of  his  stock  was  stolen  by 
Modocs.  He  has  lived  ever  since  in  this  county. 
He  has  a  fine  place  on  the  stage  road  eight  miles 
southeast  of  Yreka  on  which  he  resides.  Mr.  Neu- 
schwander  is  one  of  the  most  solid  and  substantial 
citizens  of  the  county,  standing  high  in  the  esteem 
of  his  fellow-men. 


JOHN  P.  WOOD, 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Bedford 
county,  Virginia,  the  eleventh  of  February,  1823. 
His  parents  were  John  and  Nancy  Wood.  At  the 
early  age  of  fifteen  young  Wood  left  his  parents' 
home,  where  he  had  been  reared,  and  went  to  Mis- 
souri, where  he  worked  on  a  farm  until  1846.     In 


that  year  he  volunteered  in  the  army  and  was  a 
member  of  Colonel  Donovan's  regiment,  which 
served  through  the  Mexican  war.  At  the  close  of 
hostilities  he  returned  and  was  stationed  at  Leaven- 
worth. In  the  year  1849  Mr.  Wood  crossed  the 
plains  with  Colonel  Porter  and  proceeded  to  Van- 
couver, Washington  Territory.  In  the  same  fall  he 
returned  with  mails.  In  the  spring  of  1850  Mr. 
Wood  married  Eliza  Martin,  of  St.  Joseph,  Missouri, 
at  which  place  he  resided  till  the  spring  of  1853. 
On  the  first  day  of  May  in  that  year  he  started  on 
an  overland  trip  westward  and  arrived  in  Yreka  on 
the  fifteenth  of  August,  accomplishing  the  journey  in 
four  months  and  a  half.  He  was  accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  two  children.  In  1854  Mr.  Wood  pur- 
chased a  farm  near  Fort  Jones  in  Scott  valley, 
where  he  has  since  lived.  Here  he  has  devoted  his 
time  to  farming  and  stock -growing.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wood  are  the  parents  of  three  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters, as  follows  :  Isabel,  born  February  25,  1851 ; 
Mary,  born  March  23,  1853  ;  John,  born  April  22, 
1856 ;  Eliza,  born  March  24,  1859  ;  George,  born 
April  19, 1862;  and  Henry,  born  December  12, 1866. 
Twice  has  Mr.  Wood  visited  his  old  home  and  friends 
in  Missouri,  and  he  has  been  importuned  strongly 
to  remain  there  and  make  his  home  in  that  State, 
but  he  preferred  the  climate  and  other  advantages 
of  Scott  valley  to  the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold  so 
prevalent  in  that  country,  a  full  realization  of  which 
annoyances  he  had  obtained  while  a  boy.  Mr.  Wood 
is  among  our  most  prosperous  citizens  and  stands 
high  in  the  community  in  which  he  lives. 


JOSEPH  B.  LEDUC. 

Hycinth  Leduc,  the    father  of  our  subject,  was 
born   in  Vandreuil   county,  Canada,  in    1785;  his 
wife,  Chevier  Leduc,  in  1790.     Of  the  family  there 
are  at  present  living  two  brothers  and  three  sisters: 
Hycinth,    Matilda,    Edward,    Caroline,   Joseph  B., 
and  Mary.     Joseph  B.  attended  the  Montreal  College 
until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  then  worked 
for  two  years   on  the  home  farm.     At  the  age  of 
nineteen,  wishing  to  travel,  and  having  a  desire  to 
see  the  great  West,  he  left  Canada  in  1849  and  came 
to  the  United  States,  visiting  St.  Louis,  where  he 
stopped  some  ten  months.     On  the  seventh  of  April, 
1850,  he  left  St.  Louis  for  an  overland  trip  to  Cali- 
fornia.    He  arrived  at  Sacramento  on  the  fifteenth 
of  September  of  that  year.      Leaving  Sacramento 
in  February,  1851,  he  ran  a  pack-train  for  several 
months,  but  engaged  in  mining  in  the  fall  at  Yreka 
flats,  Humbug,  Scott   river,  and  on  the  Klamath, 
which   occupation  he  followed  till    1862   in  those 
places.     Since  1863  Mr.  Leduc  has  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  lumbering  as  well  as  mining,  and  at  present 
owns  a  saw-mill  near  Scott   Bar,  and  also  one  on 
the  Klamath  river.     Mr.    Leduc   also   possesses  an 
interest  in   the  Hancock   mining   claim,  and  in  a 
wing-dam  claim  on  the  Klamath.     He  married  Hen- 
rietta Christina    Jensen    August    14,    1877,  from 
which  union  there  has  resulted  one  child.     Joseph 
Leduc  is  a  man  of  marked   characteristics,  which 
have  not   only  won  him  the  highest  regard   and 
esteem  of  a  very  large  circle  of  friends  and  Macquaint- 
ances.  Socially  he  is  a  genial  and  courteous  gentleman. 
In  business  affairs  he  has  always  been  strictly  and 
conscientiously  upright. 


.  H8£*i 


•  feasffig  it  ipk  - 


&* 


fa  t ■«-.#;  ' 

/  8 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


1C1 


ply  of  goods.  From  that  time  until  1856,  the  only 
means  of  transporting  goods  into  the  country  was 
the  pack-train.  The  leading  packers  were,  Jerome 
Churchill  and  Silas  Parker,  James  Knuff,  S.  C. 
Horsley,  Frank  Drake,  Thompson  &  Wood,  Bat- 
terton  &  Hickman,  John  and  William  Burgess, 
Augustus  Meamber, Jones,  and  Orr  &  Town- 
send.  Besides  these,  many  small  packers  were 
engaged  in  the  business,  some  only  for  one  trip  and 
some  for  several. 

Pack-trains  varied  in  size  from  thirty  to  sixty 
mules,  one  train  that  went  through  having  as  high 
as  one  hundred.  Freight  at  first  was  forty  cents 
a  pound,  but  this  price  gradually  declined  until 
1854,  when  it  was  but  ten  cents.  Packers  procured 
their  goods  at  Marysville  or  Sacramento  at  first, 
and  later  at  Colusa.  When  boats  began  to  run  to 
Red  Bluff,  they  loaded  there,  sometimes  teaming  to 
Shasta  and  packing  from  that  point.  Flour,  potatoes, 
etc.,  were  packed  from  Oregon,  until  they  were  pro- 
duced here  in  sufficient  quantities.  Other  provisions 
and  general  supplies  came  from  below. 

Both  the  Sacramento  and  Scott  mountain  trails 
were  used,  the  latter  in  summer  and  the  former  in 
winter,  on  account  of  being  more  free  from  snow. 
In  the  spring  of  1853,  Mr.  Churchill  lay  with  his 
pack-train  between  Colusa  and  Tehama  for  six 
weeks,  unable  to  proceed.  He  reached  Yreka  in 
February,  the  first  train  in  to  break  the  monotony 
of  a  diet  of  fresh  meat.  Packing  gradually  gave 
way  to  teaming  as  soon  as  roads  were  built,  and  now 
it  is  driven  into  one  corner  of  the  county.  Goods 
are  still  taken  from  Etna  over  the  Salmon  mountains 
in  that  way,  and  Augustus  Meamber  still  has  a  pack- 
train  running-  from  Scott  valley  through  to  Crescent 
City.  Mr.  Meamber  is  the  only  veteran  of  thirty 
years'  experience  in  the  business  He  ran  a  pack- 
train  of  forty  mules  into  Scott  Bar,  being  the  only 
one  constantly  on  the  road.  From  1855  to  1858, 
Elijah  Moore  and  Townsend  &-Tuttle  were  in  the 
business  on  that  r  ute.  In  1855  Mr.  Meamber 
packed  a  safe  into  Scott  Bar  that  weighed  five  hun- 
dred and  fifty  pounds.  An  ordinary  load  for  a 
mule  is  three  hundred  pounds.  He  now  packs  flour, 
hay  and  grain  from  the  valley  to  points  along  the 
Scott  and  Klamath  rivers,  going  as  far  as  Happy 
Camp.  He  also  makes  one  or  two  trips  to  Crescent 
City  each  season  and  brings  up  a  load  to  Happy 
Camp.  He  gets  one  cent  per  pound  for  freight  from 
Scott  valley  to  Scott  Bar. 

Packing  to  the  Salmon  and  Trinity  mines  from 
Trinidad  began  in  1850,  and  among  others  engaged 
in  it  were  E.  P.  Rowe,  Abi-dia  Swain,  Charles  Me- 
Dermit,  Charles  D.  Moore,  F.  F.  Marx,  and  E.  W. 
Conner,  all  well-known  citizens  of  Siskiyou  county. 

The  first  movement  in  the  direction  of  a  wagon 
road  was  made  by  Col.  James  L.  Freaner,  the  "  Mus- 
tang"   of    Mexican     war    notoriety.       With    John 

Brando Jackson, Warren,  and  a  Mexican 

known  as  Adobe  John,  he  started  out  in  June,  1852, 
to  locate  a  wagon  road,  going  by  way  of  Sheep 
rock  and  Pit  river.  Nothing  more  was  heard  of  this 
party  until  four  years  later  the  Indians  disclosed 
the  fact  that  they*  had  murdered  them  on  Pit  river. 
Nothing  further  was  done  in  the  matter  till  A.  M. 
Rosborough  and  Samuel  Lockhart  undertook  to  lay 
out  a  road  on  the  same  route  in  the  spring  of  1856. 
31 


Lockhart  went  over  it  with  an  ox-team,  and  then 
piloted  a  Mormon  train  of  thirty-five  wagons  down 
to  Red  Bluff,  which  served  to  break  quite  a  wagon 
trail.  They  established  a  ferry  on  Fall  river  with 
a  toll  license  from  Shasta  county.  In  May,  A.  Bar- 
tol,  of  the  California  Stage  Company,  came  over  the 
road  from  Red  Bluff  in  a  buggy,  and  a  meeting  was 
held  in  Yreka  on  the  twenty-second  of  that  month, 
at  which  Mr.  Bartol  offered  to  put  on  a  daily  line  of 
stages  if  the  Yreka  people  would  contribute  §5,000 
towards  putting  the  road  in  a  good  condition.  As 
it  was  known  to  be  the  intention  of  the  stage  com- 
pany to  put  on  a  line  of  stages  at  all  events,  the 
citizens  did  not  see  the  necessity  for  making  any  con- 
tributions. The  first  freight  teams  came  up  from 
Red  Bluff  in  June  of  that  year,  and  from  that  time 
freight  has  been  almost  exclusively  transported  in 
wagons.  Packing  was  carried  on  to  some  extent 
until  the  road  was  made  over  Scott  and  Siskiyou 
mountains  in  1858,  and  then  it  ceased  except  from 
the  valley  into  the  Scott,  Klamath  and  Salmon  river 
mines. 

Freight  was  at  first  seven  cents  from  Shasta  to 
Scott  Bar,  but  has  now  been  cut  down  to  two 
and  one-half  cents.  Freight  to  Yreka,  Etna,  and 
Fort  Jones  is  two  cents  in  summer  and  from  three 
to  four  in  winter,  when,  indeed,  it  can  be  had  at  all. 
The  exigencies  of  the  climate  render  teaming  in 
winter  both  an  expensive  and  a  hazardous  pursuit 
and  men  will  not  undertake  it  unless  well  remu- 
nerated. Merchants  lay  in  enough  goods  in  the  fall 
to  last  them  until  the  following  spring,  and  although 
before  spring  arrives  the  finding  of  certain  classes 
of  goods  in  the  stores  is  a  matter  of  considerable 
uncertainty,  it  is  something  that  cannot  well  be 
helped,  and  all  bear  the  annoyance  with  a  great  deal 
of  patience. 

EXPRESS   LIXES. 

One  of  the  indispensable  institutions  of  the  early 
days  was  the  mounted  express.  Without  it  busi- 
ness could  scarcely  be  carried  on,  so  slow  was  com- 
munication by  means  of  pack-trains.  The  express 
consisted  chiefly  of  letters,  papers,  gold-dust,  and 
small  packages,  ail  goods  of  anv  bulk  or  weight 
being  carried  by  the  packers.  There  was  no  post- 
office  until  1853,  and  all  mail  was  brought  and 
carried  by  the  express  companies.  At  first  the  price 
for  each  letter  was  three  dollars,  and  half  that  sum 
for  a  newspaper.  In  January,  1853,  S.  D.  Brastow 
carried  600  letters  on  his  back  from  Tower  House 
to  Callahan's,  no  one  having  been  through  for 
two  weeks.  The  following  estimate  of  the  amount 
of  mail  carried  was  made  in  1853,  when  the  question 
of  a  post-office  was  being  discussed: — 

Number  of  States  letters  brought  from  Shasta 
each  month  500,  at  two  dollars  each.  Number  of 
California  letters  500,  at  one  dollar.  Number  sent 
away  1,000,  at  fifty  cents.  At  the  same  time  one 
dollar  was  paid  for  a  States  paper  and  fifty 
cents  for  a  California  paper.  The  express  com- 
panies carried  regular  lists  of  customers  for  whose 
mail  thejr  were  to  inquire  at  Shasta.  During 
the  year  ending  March  I,  L853,  the  office  at 
Shasta,  where  Isaac  Roop  was  postmaster,  re- 
ceived for  distribution  41,263  letters,  of  whirl, 
37,025    were   delivered,    3,495    sent    to    the    dead 


16: 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


letter  office,  and  743  remained  at  that  time  uncalled 
for.  The  bulk  of  these  went  to  the  mines  on  Trin- 
ity, Salmon,  Scott,  and  Klamath  rivers,  and  to 
Yreka.  In  July,  1853,  J.  Lentell  was  appointed 
postmaster  at  Yreka,  but  so  poor  were  the  postal 
facilities  that  the  express  companies  were  still 
largely  patronized.  Even  to  the  present  time  many 
people  prefer  to  send  their  mail  by  Wells,  Fargo  & 
Co.  to  points  to  which  they  run,  paying  five  cents 
for  each  letter,  three  of  which  go  to  the  govern- 
ment. Many  points  are  reached  by  this  company 
to  which  no  mail  line  is  established  by  the  postal 
department. 

The  first  express  ever  introduced  into  the  mines 
of  this  county  was  when  A.  E.  Raynes  began  to  run 
between  Trinidad  and  Bestville  in  the  spring  of 
1851.  Before  that  the  people  had  been  completely 
isolated  from  the  outside  world.  Occasionally  a  few 
letters  were  brought  in  by  a  pack-train  and  others 
carried  out,  but  this  was  a  precarious  method  of 
maintaining  a  correspondence.  After  suffering  a 
great  many  hardships  from  inclement  weather  and 
hostile  Indians,  Mr.  Raynes  became  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Cram,  Rogers  &  Co.,  who  opened  in  the  fall 
of  1851  a  regular  express  line  from  Shasta. 

Prior  to  this  Elijah  Steele  with  Sloan,  Briggs, 
and  Tiernan,  had  established  a  freight  and  express 
line  from  Scott  Bar,  via  Yreka,  to  Sacramento, 
Steele  riding  the  express.  This  was  discontinued 
early  in  the  winter,  the  firm  of  Cram,  Rogers  & 
Co.,  having  been  formed  in  the  fall  of  1851,  com- 
posed of  F.  A.  Rogers,  Robert  Cram,  Richard  Dugan, 
and  A.  E.  Raynes.  Mr.  Rogers  went  to  Yreka  and 
opened  a  regular  banking  and  express  business. 
Mr.  Rogers  attended  to  the  business  in  Yreka,  while 
the  firm  was  represented  at  Shasta  by  Mr.  Cram, 
at  Weaverville  by  Edward  Rowe,  at  Jacksonville 
by  Mr.  Dugan.  Mr.  Raynes  carried  the  express 
from  Shasta  to  Yreka. 

In  1852,  the  firm  of  Rhodes  &  Lusk  started  an 
opposition  line,  connecting  at  Shasta  with  Wells, 
Fargo  &  Co.,  while  Cram,  Rogers  &  Co.  connected 
with  Adams  &  Co.  The  failure  of  Adams  &  Co., 
in  the  spring  of  1855,  was  a  death-blow  to  Cram, 
Rogers  &  Co.,  and  Jack  Horsley  and  S.  D.  Brastow 
started  a  line  to  connect  at  Shasta  with  the  Pacific 
Express  Company,  organized  by  the  old  employees 
of  Adams  &  Co.  This  had  but  a  brief  existence. 
George,  Henry  and  Ridge  Greathouse  then  started 
an  express,  bank,  and  passenger  business,  in  con- 
nection with  Hugh  Slicer.  They  ran  stages  to 
Callahan's,  and  then  sent  their  express  and  passen- 
gers over  the  mountains  on  mules.  The  other  com- 
pany became  Rhodes  &  Co.,  then  Rhodes  &  Whit- 
ney, and  when  the  California  Stage  Company  com- 
menced running  to  Yreka,  in  1856,  was  succeeded 
by  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.,  who  have  since  handled  the 
express  business.  They  run  on  both  stage  routes, 
and  all  outside  points  are  reached  by  private  parties 
who  own  mail  contracts  and  carry  express.  The 
agents  of  the  company  in  this  county  are  E.  and 
H.  Wadsworth,  Yreka,  C.  E.  Burrows,  manager, 
and  Joseph  Sawtell,  assistant;  A.  B.  Carlock,  Fort 
Jones;  Abisha  Swain,  Etna;  A.  H.  Denny,  Calla- 
han's; Gilbert  Lanphier,  Berry  vale;  George  Camp- 
bell, Soda  Springs. 

The  old  mounted  express  is  a  thing  of  the  past 


in  California,  and  a  few  reminiscences  will  be  found 
interesting. 

Great  rivalry  always  existed  between  the  com- 
peting express  companies,  especially  down  in  the 
Sacramento  valley;  and  many  a  race  was  run  by 
the  messengers,  and  many  a  dollar  was  needlessly 
expended,  or  animal  ruined,  to  keep  up  the  reputa- 
tion of  the  rival  companies  for  speed.  It  was  a 
daily  strife  between  the  riders  below;  and  in  this 
county,  when  the  messengers  arrived  near  their 
destination,  they  broke  into  a  wild  gallop  to  see 
who  could  reach  the  office  first.  Frequently  races 
were  pre-arranged  and  run  long  distances  at  great 
expense.  One  of  these  was  the  race  with  the  Presi- 
dent's message,  in  the  spring  of  1853. 

The  contestants  were  Adams  &  Co.,  from  Sacra- 
mento to  Shasta,  and  Cram,  Rogers  &  Co.,  from 
Shasta  to  Weaverville  and  Yreka,  against  Wells, 
Fargo  &  Co.  and  Rhodes  &  Co.,  for  the  same 
distances.  The  finest  horses  the  four  companies 
owned  were  stationed  along  the  route  at  inter- 
vals of  ten  miles,  held  saddled  and  bridled  for 
two  days,  read}r  for  the  messenger  to  spring  from 
the  back  of  one  jaded  animal  upon  the  back  of 
another  fresh  one,  and  be  out  of  sight  in  a  twink- 
ling. Receiving  the  message  together  at  Sacra- 
mento,  the  first  two  riders  dashed  spur  into  their 
animals  and  went  whirling  away  towards  Marys- 
ville,  where  a  message  was  tossed  to  the  agent,  and 
on  went  the  rider.  Either  by  superior  horses,  rid- 
ing, or  arrangement  of  details,  the  riders  for  Adams 
&  Co.  so  far  outstripped  their  competitors  that  they 
landed  the  message  in  Shasta  the  night  before  it 
came  by  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.  Here  it  was  taken 
by  the  messengers  for  Cram,  Rogers  &  Co.,  and 
whisked  over  to  Weaverville  and  up  to  Yreka  as 
fast  as  horse-flesh  would  take  it.  This  little  race 
cost  Adams  &  Co.  $1,500,  and  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co. 
probably  as  much. 

At  another  time  it  was  arranged  between  Rhodes 
&  Co.,  and  Cram,  Rogers  &  Co.,  that  they  would 
race  from  Shasta  to  Weaverville  and  Yreka,  with 
the  Shasta  Courier.  The  riders  on  this  occasion 
were  Jack  Horsley  to  Weaverville,  and  A.  E.  Raynes 
to  Yreka,  for  Cram,  Rogers  &  Co.,  and  Parker  to 
Weaverville,  and  George  Terry  to  Yreka,  for  Rhodes 
&  Co.  Over  two  hundred  people  assembled  on  the 
hill  at  Shasta  to  see  them  start.  Receiving  their 
papers  together,  away  they  went  at  the  top  of  their 
speed,  mounted  on  the  finest  horses  they  could 
obtain.  Before  they  reached  the  Tower  House,  all 
four  had  been  thrown  from  their  horses  by  some 
accident  on  the  rugged  trail.  Here  they  separated, 
Horsley  and  Parker  branching  off  to  Weaverville, 
losing  the  trail  in  the  thick  brush,  and  finally  arriv- 
ing- at  their  destination,  Horsley  winning  the  race. 
Up  the  trail  towards  Yreka  thundered  Raynes  and 
Terry,  a  race  of  over  one  hundred  miles;  a  question 
of  endurance  and  horses,  decided  in  favor  of  Raynes, 
who  distanced  his  competitor,  and  at  the  foot  of 
Trinity  mountain  handed  his  package  of  papers  to 
S.  D.  Brastow,  who  dashed  up  to  the  office  in  Yreka 
and  threw  them  down,  with  the  glow  of  heat  and 
pride  struggling  on  his  cheek  for  the  mastery. 

Hundreds  of  such  races  were  run,  sometimes 
being  won  by  this  company,  and  sometimes  by 
that.     It  was  a  daring,   reckless  way  to   traverse 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


1G3 


those  rough  mountain  trails,  dangerous  both  to  life 
and  limb;  but  those  riders  were  bold,  devil-may- 
care  fellows,  and  dared  anything  to  win.  Gen- 
erally the  two  messengers  rode  together,  both  for 
the  sake  of  company,  and  for  mutual  safety  and 
protection.  Their  revolvers,  which  they  carried  on 
their  right  hip,  with  the  handles  exposed  so  as  to 
be  grasped  as  quickly  as  thought,  were  their  reliance 
for  defense,  and  well  did  they  know  how  to  use 
them.  More  skillful  riders  were  not  to  be  found 
in  the  mountains,  and  the  way  they  would  dash 
down  the  trail  of  a  steep  mountain  side,  was  enough 
to  make  an  observer  hold  his  breath  with  astonish- 
ment and  fear.  They  could  throw  themselves  over 
the  side  of  their  animals  and  ride  at  a  racing  speed, 
shielded  thus  from  the  bullets  of  any  robbers  that 
might  undertake  to  stop  them.  By  their  bold  rid- 
ing or  quick  use  of  the  revolver,  they  many  times 
escaped  the  clutches  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  road, 
while  they  occasionally  fell  victims  to  the  superior 
advantages  of  men  posted  behind  trees  with  guns 
in  their  hands. 

The  quickest  time  ever  made  between  Yreka  and 
Shasta  was  in  1854,  when  Mr.  Raynes  carried  the 
news  of  the  great  fire  in  twelve  and  one-half  hours. 
There  was  then  but  a  rough  mountain  trail,  no 
roads  having  yet  been  made,  and  the  messenger 
went  tearing  along  over  rocks  and  stones,  up  long 
hills  and  down  steep  declivities,  the  whole  120 
miles.  Since  that  time  the  wagon  roads  have  con- 
siderably  shortened  the  distance  as  well  as  evened 
the  grades,  and  the  building  of  the  telegraph  has 
rendered  such  a  journey  now  unnecessary.  That 
break-neck  ride  will  probably  never  be  repeated. 

In  the  summer  of  1854,  the  two  messengers, 
Raynes  and  Parker,  were  riding  to  Shasta,  each 
having  some  $6,000  and  a  pack-mule,  and  nar- 
rowly escaped  being  robbed.  It  was  customary 
to  stay  the  first  night  at  Callahan's,  and  the 
second  at  the  ferry  at  the  foot  of  Trinity  mount- 
ain, taking  dinner  midway  at  the  New  York  House. 
At  a  creek  some  five  miles  above  the  last  place,  a 
negro,  who  was  but  a  little  way  in  advance  of  the 
expressmen,  met  six  men.  He  observed  that  they 
were  well  armed  with  guns  and  revolvers,  and  had 
knives  sticking  in  the  leggings  of  their  boots.  With 
a  "Good-day,  gentlemen,"  he  passed  along,  and  had 
proceeded  but  a  few  steps  when  one  of  them  shot 
at  him,  the  bullet  passing  through  the  roll  of  blank- 
ets on  his  back,  and  lodged  in  the  back  of  his  neck. 
He  sprang  into  a  run  and  was  quickly  followed  by 
another  bullet,  that  ploughed  from  his  elbow  to  the 
wrist,  and  served  only  to  accelerate  his  speed.  He 
soon  came  upon  a  pack-train  that  was  going  up  the 
road,  and  the  approach  of  these  frightened  the  rob- 
bers away,  so  that  when,  a  few  moments  later,  the 
two  expressmen  came  up,  the  highwaymen  had  dis- 
appeared up  the  creek.  The  shooting  of  the  negro, 
whose  only  crime  was  that  he  had  seen  the  robbers, 
and  would  be  able  to  recognize  them  again,  is  an 
illustration  of  how  dangerous  it  is  to  be  a  witness. 

At  another  time  the  two  men  were  riding  together 
on  Trinity  mountain,  and  just  as  they  came  up  a 
steep  hill  upon  a  level  bench,  they  found  themselves 
face  to  face  with  four  or  five  men,  who  were  riding 
leisurely  along  with  their  rifles  lying  across  the 
saddle  in  front  of  them.     These  men  separated  to 


either  side  of  the  trail,  while  the  expressmen,  simul- 
taneously and  without  exchanging  a  word,  whipped 
out  their  revolvers,  cocked  them  and  rode  between 
the  open  ranks  of  the  highwaymen  with  their  pistols 
elevated  in  front  of  them.  Turning  in  their  saddles 
as  they  passed,  they  kept  the  men  covered  with  the 
revolvers,  until  just  beyond,  they  struck  the  top 
of  a  steep  descent,  and  dashing  spur  into  their  mules, 
were  soon  beyond  the  reach  of  the  rifles  they  had 
passed.  Their  quickness  of  action  had  saved  them, 
for  the  robbers  saw  that  the  messengers  "  had  the 
drop  on  them,"  and  dared  not  make  a  move. 

One  day,  in  the  fall  of  1851,  Mr.  Raynes  was 
coming  up  the  south  fork  of  Salmon  river  with  a 
pack-mule,  when  three  Indians  came  down  the 
hill  upon  the  trail.  One  of  them  took  the  mule  by 
the  head  and  motioned  for  Raynes  to  go  ahead. 
Instead  of  doing  this,  he  presented  his  gun  and 
motioned  for  them  to  move  on.  Knowing  that  if 
the  gun  went  off  one  of  them  would  die,  they  aban- 
doned the  attempt  for  the  time  being,  but  soon  came 
back,  and  the  programme  was  repeated.  For  half 
an  hour  they  thus  followed  and  annoyed  him,  and 
then  disappeared.  That  night  he  went  into  camp 
all  alone,  fearing  an  attack  by  the  Indians.  After 
cooking  his  supper,  he  lay  down  by  the  fire  for  a 
while,  and  then  crawled  out  of  his  blankets  and 
lay  in  the  brush  outside  the  camp.  He  had  little 
sleep  that  night,  for  the  rustle  of  every  leaf  was 
magnified  into  the  footstep  of  a  blood-thirsty  savage, 
and  every  moment  he  expected  an  arrow  to  be 
buried  in  the  roll  of  blankets  he  had  left  by  the 
fire.  The  night  passed  away,  and  in  the  morning 
he  had  the  melancholy  satisfaction  of  learning  that 
a  large  pack-train  was  in  camp  but  a  short  distance 
up  the  trail,  with  whom  he  might  have  spent  the 
night  in  peaceful  slumber. 

One  dark  night,  Raynes  was  riding  leisurely 
through  the  forest  upon  a  mule  that  the  snapping 
of  a  stick  or  the  click  of  a  revolver  spring  would 
set  upon  the  keen  run.  Just  as  he  came  to  the  top 
of  a  hill,  his  ever  vigilant  eye  saw  a  gun  appear 
from  behind  a  tree.  Not  stopping  to  see  if  a  man 
was  behind  it,  he  snatched  his  revolver  from  his 
belt  and  cocked  it.  No  sooner  did  the  mule  hear 
the  click  of  the  lock,  than  he  started  down  the  hill 
at  a  headlong  pace,  and  before  the  astonished  high- 
wayman could  realize  what  had  happened,  his 
victim  was  beyond  the  reach  of  a  bullet.  For  half 
a  mile  Raynes  went  tearing  down  the  hill,  his  knees 
tightly  clasped  against  the  sides  of  the  fleeing  mule, 
before  he  could  stop  the  animal  and  return  the 
revolver  to  his  belt. 

EXPRESS  ROBBERY  IN  1856. 

On  Monday,  the  tenth  of  March,  1856,  Rhodes 
&  Whitney's  "express  left  Yreka  for  Shasta,  with 
about  $17,000  in  gold-dust,  in  charge  of  the 
messenger,  S.  D.  Brastow,  now  assistant  super- 
intendent of  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.,  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. Accompanying  him  were  Mr.  Hickman,  of 
the  firm  of  Batterton  &  Hickman,  Yreka;  Will- 
iam F.  Somercamp,  now  of  Silver  City,  Idaho;  and 
Larry  Delass,  a  packer  between  Shasta  and  the 
country  lying  north  of  it,  now  a  resident  of  Nova 
Scotia.  Mr.  Hickman  also  had  S4.000  in  dust, 
and  the  others  several  hundred  dollars  each.     The 


164 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


treasure  was  carried  in  large,  heavy  leathern 
bags,  which  were  lashed  to  a  pack-mule,  and  the 
mule  driven  ahead. 

As  far  as  Callahan's  there  was  an  apology  for  a 
wagon  road,  used  by  Greathouse  &  Co.'s  stages,  but 
beyond  that  point  there  was  but  a  mountain  trail. 
The  party  stopped  on  the  night  of  the  eleventh  at 
Trinity,  or  Gibbs'  ferry,  seven  miles  below  Trinity 
Center.  Before  daylight  Wednesday  morning  they 
resumed  their  journey,  arriving  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  just  at  daybreak.  The  ascent  was  com- 
menced with  the  pack-mule  in  the  lead,  Dtdass  fol- 
lowing, then  Brastow,  Somercanrp,  and  Hickman, 
Brastow  walking  beside  his  mule.  About  a  mile 
and  one-half  from  the  foot  of  the  mountain  they 
were  suddenly  halted  by  disguised  men,  one  of  whom 
sprang  in  behind  the  pack-mule,  and  the  others 
stood  within  ten  feet  of  the  trail  on  the  left.  They 
were  armed  with  double- barrel  shot-guns  and  a 
yager,  and  Delass,  who  saw  them  first,  called  out, 
"Don't  shoot!"  They  hail  on  skull-caps  made  of 
red  blanket,  and  black  silk  handkerchiefs  sewed  to 
them  and  tied  about  the  neck,  with  holes  cut  for 
their  eyes.  Their  red  shirts  were  worn  outside  of 
their  pants,  fastened  with  a  belt  around  the  waist, 
in  which  were  two  six-shooters  and  an  ugly  bowie- 
knife.  They  said  nothing,  but  it  was  very  evident 
what  they  wanted.  Brastow  tried  to  secure  h  s 
revolvers  from  their  holsters  on  the  saddle,  but  his 
mule  was  frightened  by  the  grotesque  figures  before 
him,  and  jumped  about  so  that  it  was  impossible 
to  do  so.  One  of  the  robbers  said,  "Stop  that!  We 
don't  want  to  kill  you,  but  we  must  have  vour 
money."  He  stopped.  They  all  stopped.  One  of 
them  said  afterwards  that  the  gun-barrel  he  looked 
into  had  a  hole  in  it  as  big  as  a  hogshead. 

One  of  the  robbers  laid  down  his  gun  and  made 
the  messenger  tie  his  mule  to  a  tree,  and  then  he 
tied  the  messenger's  hands  behind  his  back.  The 
others  were  all  treated  in  the  same  way. 
Brass  tow  told  them  it  was  pretty  hard  to  be  treated 
in  that  way,  and  one  of  them  said  Adams  &  Co.  had 
robbed  him  of  §20,000  and  he  was  trying  to  get 
even.  They  were  then  conducted  down  the  north 
side  of  the  ridge  about  600  yards,  and  each 
one  was  firmly  lashed  with  his  back  to  a  tree.  The 
robbers  then  searched  them  and  got  considerable 
money,  and  watches  from  Somercamp  and  Hickman. 
Brastow  asked  them  to  let  him  keep  his  pocket 
change  as  they  had  enough  from  him.  They  asked 
him  how  much  he  had,  and  he  said,  "Forty  odd 
dollars;"  said  the  leader,  "All  right,  Brastow,  you 
can  keep  it."  As  they  were  about  to  leave,  they 
were  assured  they  would  be  followed  if  possible, 
when  the  leader  turned  and  said,  "  You  might  as 
well  hunt  for  a  coyote." 

They  had  not  gone  far  when  Hickman  whispered, 
"Boys,  I'm  loose,  hold  on  till  they  get  off  a  little  way 
and  I  will  unfasten  you."  This  was  good  news  for 
they  had  expected  to  be  kept  there  a  long  time. 
Soon  all  were .  free  and  started  diagonally  up  the 
ridge  towards  the  summit.  As  they  neared  the 
top  they  heard  the  clatter  of  hoofs,  and  secreted 
themselves  just  in  time  to  see  the  robbers  ride  by 
on  their  mules,  their  disguises  thrown  off.  They 
were  riding  at  a  rapid  pace,  the  treasure  mule  being 
driven  ahead. 


The  news  soon  reached  Shasta  and  Yreka,  and  a 
party  started  from  each  place  in  pursuit,  the  Yreka 
party  under  Sheriff  S.  P.  Fair  going  down  the  Sac- 
ramento. The  Shasta  posse  followed  the  trail  of  the 
robbers  to  Clear  creek,  near  its  head,  where  it  was 
discovered  that  the  bandits  had  left  the  mules,  divided 
the  plunder  and  separated.  Their  trail  was  lost  and 
the  party  returned  to  Shasta  after  searching  in  vain 
for  two  days.  Posters  were  then  printed,  giving  a 
good  descr  ption  of  the  men  and  offering  a  reward. 
A  gentleman  in  Chico  seeing  one  of  these  ami  know- 
ing a  rendezvous  lor  bad  characters,  established  a 
surveillance  over  the  place,  and  was  rewarded  one 
evening  while  looking  through  the  chinks  of  the 
cabin  to  see  one  of  the  robbers  showing  some  gold- 
dust  to  the  inmates.  The  next  day  this  man  and 
one  of  the  others  started  for  Marysville  on  horse- 
back, followed  by  the  Chico  gentleman,  who  ro  le 
around  them  and  reached  Marysville  in  advance. 
The  authorities  there  were  posted,  and  a  party  went 
to  the  Feather  river  bridge  and  lay  in  wait  for  the 
two  travelers,  who  were  surrounded  on  the  bridge 
and  captured.  Hickman's  watch  was  iound  on  one 
of  them,  whose  name  was  William  Carter.  This  man 
"squealed,"  and  told  who  his  companions  had  been 
and  whore  they  could  probably  be  lound.  They  were 
George  Walker,  Adolph  Newton,  a  Svve  le,  Domingo, 
a  Mexican,  Nicanora  Rodriguez,  a  Chileno.  Tbey 
were  a  branch  of  the  celebrated  Tom  Bell  gang  that 
roamed  through  Butte,  Sierra,  Yuba,  Nevada,  Placer, 
and  Sacramento  counties.  The  headquarters  of  this 
particular  sang  was  near  Folsom,  in  Sacramen'o 
county.  With  them,  though  not  engaged  in  this 
robbery,  was  the  well-known  Bill  Gristy,  Tom 
Bell's  right  hand-man,  also  Cip  Walker,  brother  of 
George. 

On  separating,  Walker,  Carter,  and  Rodriguez 
had  buried  their  share  of  the  plunder,  each  in  a 
different  spot,  near  the  head  of  Clear  creek.  Carter 
was  taken  there  two  or  three  times  by  Sheriff 
Nunnally,  of  Shasta,  and  finally  found  all  three 
of  the  places,  yielding  about  fourteen  thousand  dol- 
lars. The  search  for  other  members  of  the  gang 
proved  futile  for  a  long  time.  Detectives  Robert 
Harrison  and  Daniel  C.  Gay  were  detailed  from  the 
Sacramento  force  to  work  up  the  case.  They  cap- 
tured one  of  the  eranof  named  Woodruff,  alias  Tom 
Brown,  who  was  induced  to  betray  his  companions. 
He  was  so  long  in  working  up  the  case,  that  Gay 
gave  it  up  and  went  East.  Finally  Walker,  Gristy, 
Rodriguez,  and  Newton  were  found  together  at 
Folsom,  and  Brown  reported  that  all  was  ready. 
Harrison,  accompanied  by  Chief  A.  J.  Buckley, 
Officer  Anderson,  and  a  butcher  from  Marysville, 
went  to  Folsom  with  Brown.  Newton  was  quietly 
captured  in  the  town  and  sent  to  the  "prison 
brig"  at  Sacramento.  The  officers  then  went  to 
the  tent  where  Walker,  Gristy,  and  Rodriguez  were. 
Cip  Walker  was  then  in  jail  at  Auburn.  It  was 
arranged  that  Brown  should  throw  open  the  tent 
door,  and  Harrison  and  Anderson  rush  in  with  their 
shot-guns  and  cover  the  robbers.  If  a  shot  was 
fired,  those  on  the  outside  were  to  fire  into  the  tent. 
This  was  done.  The  two  officers  sprang  in  and 
demanded  a  surrender.  Several  six-shooters  lay  on 
a  table,  before  which  Walker  stood  arranging  his 
necktie.     Shouting,  "No,  never!"   he  seized  one  of 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


n;.- 


these  and  fired,  the  ball  passing  between  the  heads 
of  the  two  officers.  These  then  shot  at  him,  and  he 
fell  dead.  The  men  on  the  outside  commenced  to 
fire  into  the  tent  when  they  heard  the  first  shot, 
and  Gristy  stooped  down  and  lifted  up  the  edge  of 
the  tent,  firing  over  his  shoulder  as  he  crawled  out. 
A  load  of  buckshot  was  sent  after  him,  but  he 
escaped  with  only  a  flesh  wound.     Rodriguez  went 

■  out  the  same  hole,  but  was  wounded  and  captured. 
Gristy  was  caught  soon  after.  The  body  of  Dom- 
ingo was  found  near  Cottonwood,  Shasta    county, 

:  and  it  was  supposed  that  he  had  been  killed  by 
Newton  in  a  quarrel  about  their  plunder. 

Newton,  Carter,  Rodriguez  and  Gristy  were  all 

sentenced  to  San  Quentin.     Brown  reformed  and  is 

now  living  an  upright  life  in  Placer  county.     Gristv 

also  reformed  when  he  was  released,  anil  is  now  liv- 

j  ing  honorably  in   Sacramento   county.     Rodriguez 

,   was  pardoned  after  being  in  prison  one  year.  Carter 

;   was  pardoned  before  his  term  expired,  and  Newton 

;  served  out  his  term.     Pending  the  trial,  Newton  was 

taken  to  where  he  and  Domingo  had  buried  their 

plunder,   but   could   not  find  it.     After  his   release 

\  from  prison  he  made  two  unsuccessful   trips  on  the 

same  errand.     Rodriguez  told  Mr.  Brastovv  in  1872 

that  he  accompanied  him,  and  their  theory  was  that 

]   someone  living   at  the  Mountain  House  must  have 

■  found  and  dug  it  up.     Carter  is  now  dead.   Newton 
'   was  a  wood-driver  on  the  Carson  river  a  few  years 

since.  Rodriguez  found  his  way  back  to  San  Quen- 
tin, and  when  his  term  was  out  went  to  Nevada. 
After  a  long  career  of  crime,  he  broke  jail  in  Pioehe. 
A  man  who  escaped  with  him  was  soon  after1  found 
dead  in  Utah,  and  Rodriguez  was  next  heard  of  as 
robbing  a  stage  in  New  Mexico;  next  as  an  officer 
in  the  Mexican  army;  next  at  Prescott,  Arizona, 
where  grave  crimes  were  laid  at  his  door.  He 
recently  escaped  from  jail  in  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico, 

STAGE   LINES. 

The  daily  stage  is  the  great  means  of  communica- 
tion between  the  people  of  this  region  and  the  out- 
side world.  The  whistle  of  the  locomotive  or  the 
rumble  of  the  car  has  never  disturbed  the  vast  soli- 
tude of  these  mountains,  that  echo  to  the  crack  of 
the  driver's  lash  and  listen  to  the  choice  English  he 
sometimes  bestows  upon  a  frisky  leader  or  a  lazy 
wheeler.  Children  have  been  born  and  become  men 
and  women,  who  have  never  seen  any  more  exten- 
sive means  of  communication  than  a  stage  or  heavy 
freight  wagon.  They  are  just  as  intelligent  and 
happy  as  those  in  whose  ears  the  rumble  of  the  cars 
is  a  constant  sound,  or  from  whose  eyes  the  sight  of 
mighty  vessels  is  seldom  absent.  If  any  one  expects 
to  find  in  the  mountains  an  order  of  intelligence 
inferior  to  other  localities,  he  will  soon  discover  his 
error  when  placed  among  them.  Railroads  did  not 
create  the  intellect,  but  intellect  the  railroad. 

Prior  to  1854  the  only  means  of  transportation 
for  travelers  coming  from  below  or  above,  was  upon 
the  backs  of  animals.  In  that  year  Hugh  Sheer 
brought  two  Concord  coaches  to  Yreka,  by  the  way 
of  Oregon  and  the  Siskiyou  mountains.  With  these 
a  line  of  stages  was  started  to  Callahan's,  by  Great- 
house  &  Slicer,  passengers  between  that  point  and 
Shasta  being  conveyed  on  mules.  The  Pit  river 
road  having  been  located  in  the  spring  of  1856,  the 


California  Stage  Company  put  on  a  daily  line  of 
stages  from  Sacramento  to  Yreka,  with  the  design  of 
extending  the  route  to  Portland  as  soon  as  possible. 
In  Septemberof  that  year  they  commenced  running 
a  tri-weekly  stage  from  Yreka  to  Jacksonville.  In 
January,  1857,  the  Pit  River  Indians  massacred 
Harry  Lockhart,  twin  brother  of  Samuel  Lockhart, 
at  the  ferry  on  Fall  river,  and  Z.  Rogers,  Adam 
Boles,  D.  Bryant,  and  a  German  called  John,  all  liv- 
ing in  Fall  River  valley.  They  also  attacked  the 
stage,  driven  by  Jerry  Robbins,  and  the  driver  was 
compelled  to  cut  the  horses  loose,  mount  one  of  them, 
and  ride  for  his  life,  running  the  gauntlet  of  hundrei  Is 
of  arrows.  He  escaped  with  his  life,  but  was  badly 
wounded.  The  Indians  were  severely  punished  for 
this  act,  and  it  was  for  his  supposed  connection  with 
this  affair  that  Joaquin  Miller  was  arrested  and 
barely  escaped  being  shot  by  Samuel  Lockhart. 
Samuel  went  to  Fort  Jones  with  Judge  Rosborough 
to  request  Captain  Judah  to  send  troops  to  the  scene 
of  trouble,  which  request  was  refused.  They  then 
departed,  but  Samuel  soon  turned  back  with  the 
intention  of  shooting  Judah,  which  design  the  Judge 
induced  him  to  abandon.  He  killed  many  of  the 
Indians  in  revenge  for  his  brother's  death,  went  to 
Idaho  on  the  Salmon  river  excitement,  and  was 
killed  in  a  dispute  over  a  mining  claim. 

Stages  were  withdrawn  from  the  Pit  river  route, 
on  account  of  the  Indian  troubles,  and  the  company 
bought  out  Greathouse  &  Slicer's  line.  In  the 
spring  of  1856  they  ran  stages  to  Callahan's  on  this 
side  and  to  French  Gulch  on  the  other,  using  mules 
between  those  two  points.  They  soon  after  packed 
a  small  wagon  over  the  mountains,  and  used  it  in 
Trinity  valley.  In  1857  the  company  built  a  road 
over  Trinity  mountain,  and  then  only  packed  over 
Scott  mountain.  In  1859  they  completed  a  road 
over  Scott  mountain,  at  an  expense  of  §25,000,  and 
then  commenced  running  clear  through  from  Shasta 
to  Yreka.  Until  the  winter  of  1859,  the  tri-weekly 
stage  to  Jacksonville  only  ran  in  summer,  but  that 
year  a  road  was  completed  over  Siskiyou  mountain 
by  an  Oregon  company,  costing  $10,000,  and  the 
stage  ran  all  winter. 

The  through  line  of  daily  stages  from  Sacramento 
to  Portland  was  put  on  by  the  California  Stage 
Company  in  1860,  and  has  been  running  in  various 
hands  ever  since,  the  distance  being  materially 
abbreviated  at  both  ends  by  the  railroads. 

What  is  known  as  the  Sacramento  route  was 
opened  in  I860  by  Stone  &  Sullaway,  who  ran 
stages  from  Yreka  to  Soda  Springs.  From  that 
point  Loag  &  Kenyon  packed  to  Pit  river,  and  had 
stages  from  there  to  Shasta.  The  toll-road  was 
built  by  Stone  &  Son,  and  then  William  Sullawaj 
put  on  aline  from  Yreka  to  Red  Bluff,  which  he 
operated  several  yeai's. 

The  California  Stage  Company  sold  their  stock 
and  property  on  this  line,  in  1866,  to  Frank  Stevens 
and  Louis  McLean,  who  got  a  special  contract  to 
carry  the  mail.  They  soon  sold  to  H.  W.  Corbett, 
E.  Corbett,  William' Mall.  A.  <  >.  Thorns,  and  J.  D. 
Carr,  who  operated  the  line  until  the  fall  of  L869, 
under  the  name  of  H.  W.  Corbett  &  Co.  J.  D. 
Carr  then  bought  the  stock  and  carried  the  mail  till 
1870.  At  that  time  the  California,  and  Oregon 
Coast  Overland  Mail  Company  obtained    the   con- 


166 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


tract  and  bought  the  stock  of  Can-.  This  company 
is  still  carrying  the  mail,  and  was  then  composed  of 
J.  L.  Sanderson,  Bradley  Barlow,  C.  C.  Huntley,  and 
J.  W.  Parker.  The  firm  is  now  J.  L.  Sanderson  & 
Co.,  Mr.  Sanderson  being  the  chief  owner.  In  June, 
1871,  they  took  all  stock  off  the  Scott  mountain 
route,  and  put  it  on  the  Sacramento  route,  which 
still  remains  the  through  route  from  Redding  to 
Roseburg.  They  had  a  way-contract  from  Yreka 
to  Shasta,  and  sent  mail  in  a  wagon  to  Callahan's 
and  from  that  point  on  horseback. 

In  1874  the  way-contract  to  Shasta  was  secured 
by  the  People's  Stage  Company,  composed  of  Grant 
I.  Taggart,  J.  W.  McBride,  James  Vance,  George 
Smith,  and  Abisha  Swain,  with  P.  G.  Strickland  for 
their  agent.  They  put  a  regular  line  of  two-horse 
wagons  on  the  route.  The  company  soon  sold  to 
Taggart  &  Culverhouse,  then  Taggart  became  pro- 
prietor, and,  finally,  Taggart  &  Major.  In  1878 
the  regular  company  again  secured  this  contract, 
and  put  on  four-horse  stages,  which  are  still  run- 
ning. 

The  old  California  Stage  Company  was  organized 
in  1854,  by  the  consolidation  of  the  stage  lines  that 
ran  out  of  Sacramento,  Stockton,  and  Marysville, 
and  was  the  most  extensive  company  of  its  char- 
acter that  has  ever  existed.  Besides  the  line 
from  Sacramento  to  Portland  they  ran  from  all 
central  points  in  the  Sacramento  valley  into  the 
mines  in  all  directions.  They  were  to  be  found  in 
every  corner  of  the  State,  and  were  the  great 
medium  of  transportation  everywhere.  In  1866  all 
their  stock  was  sold  to  various  parties,  and  the 
great  company  became  a  thing  of  the  past. 

The  Indian  creek  road  to  Scott  Bar  was  built  in 
1861,  and  a  stage  and  express  line  was  put  on 
between  that  point  and  Fort  Jones  a  year  or  two 
later.  It  now  belongs  to  F.  L.  Tickner,  son  of  the 
founder,  who  has  driven  it  for  years.  He  makes  three 
trips  per  week.  A.  A.  Beem  has  a  stage  running 
from  Fort  Jones  to  Yreka,  connecting  with  Tick- 
ner's  line  to  Scott  Bar.  A  small  express  line  also 
runs  from  Yreka  to  Oak  Bar,  one  from  Yreka  to 
Linkville,  via  Bogus  creek,  and  one  to  the  same 
place,  via  Butte  creek. 

CALIFORNIA   AND    OREGON   C.   O.   M.   CO. 

J.  L.  Sanderson  &  Co.  are  proprietors  of  this  line, 
which  is  430  miles  long-,  besides  owning  600  miles 
of  line  in  New  Mexico  and  Colorado.  Few  people 
who  ride  on  these  stages  have  any  idea  of  the  mag- 
nitude of  a  well-appointed  stage  line.  They  see 
four  fresh  horses  substituted  for  the  tired  ones  every 
twelve  miles,  and  a  new  driver  relieve  the  old  one 
every  ten  hours,  but  beyond  that  they  can  see  little. 
Here  are  a  few  statistics.  The  line  has  three 
branches :  From  Redding  to  Roseburg  via  Yreka, 
Ashland,  and  Jacksonville;  from  Redding  to  Yreka 
via  Shasta,  Tower  House,  Trinity  Center,  Calla- 
han's, Etna,  and  Fort  Jones;  from  Tower  House  to 
Weaverville;  aggregating  430  miles. 

Horses,  362  regular,  30  extra 392 

Drivers  in  summer 20 

Drivers  in  winter 26 

Hostlers 50 

Mechanics 6 

Stages  running  in  summer 16 


Stages  running  in  winter 21 

Sleighs  for  Scott  mountain,  in  winter 2 

Total  wagons  on  hand 40 

Total  quarterly  expenses $40,000 

Total  annual  toll  paid $12,000 

Annually  expended  in  Siskiyou  county. $50,000 

The  operations  of  the  company  are  managed  by 
Col.  W.  S.  Stone,  superintendent  of  the  line;  W.  L. 
Smith,  and  William  Carll,  division  agents;  and 
A.  H.  Burrows,  general  agent;  all  with  headquar- 
ters at  Yreka.  The  company  also  has  local  agents 
at  Roseburg,  Jacksonville,  Fort  Jones,  Weaverville, 
Redding,  Sacramento,  and  San  Francisco. 

STAGE   ROBBERIES. 

The  great  sufferers  by  the  robbery  of  a  stage  are 
not  the  stage  company  and  the  passengers,  but  the 
express  company  and  bankers,  who  are  forwarding 
gold-dust  and  coin.  It  frequently  happens  that  the 
passengers  are  not  molested  at  all,  the  robbers  being 
satisfied  with  the  treasure-box  and  the  mail. 

A  number  of  men  have  achieved  notoriety  as 
knights  of  the  road,  that  entitles  them  to  special 
mention,  while  many  robberies  have  been  made  by 
novices  in  the  art,  for  art  it  is  with  some  of  them. 
The  robbery  of  Rhodes  &  Whitney's  express  in 
1856,  already  related,  was  done  by  a  part  of  the 
celebrated  Tom  Bell  gang.  The  leader  himself, 
whose  true  name  was  Thomas  J.  Hodges,  was  never 
known  to  be  as  far  north  as  Shasta.  Another 
noted  highwayman  was  Tom  Brown,  who  is  now 
languishing  in  San  Quentin.  He  is  the  hero  of 
countless  robberies,  and  seemed  to  perpetrate  them 
simply  for  the  excitement  they  afforded  him.  For 
a  long  time  he  was  accompanied  by  his  brother, 
who  was  killed  in  Yuba  county,  and  it  seemed 
impossible  to  capture  them.  A  few  years  ago  he 
was  captured,  escaped  from  jail,  was  re-captured 
and  sent  to  San  Quentin.  There  is  still  another 
noted  robber,  a  mysterious  character,  known  as  the 
Black  Bard.  His  operations  have  extended  from 
one  end  of  the  Pacific  coast  to  the  other.  All 
attempts  to  capture  him,  or  even  prove  his  identity, 
have  been  futile.  A  black  mask,  and  a  habit  of 
writing  a  few  lines  of  rhyme  on  the  way-bill,  are 
the  causes  for  giving  him  the  appellation  he  bears. 

So  many  robberies  have  occurred  that  no  attempt 
will  be  made  to  give  them  in  detail ;  a  few  happen- 
ing in  this  county  in  late  years  will  suffice.  The 
adventure's  of  drivers,  passengers,  and  "shot-gun 
messengers,"  as  the  men  are  called  whom  the  express 
company  sends  on  the  stage  with  a  gun  whenever 
a  considerable  amount  of  treasure  is  in  the  box, 
would  make  a  most  entertaining  volume.  Drivers 
have  run  their  teams  down  steep  grades  at  the  top 
of  their  speed  when  ordered  to  stop,  despite  the 
bullets  sent  after  them.  An  old  robber  will  always 
stop  the  stage  on  an  up  grade,  to  prevent  such  an 
occurrence.  They  have  remained  quietly  seated 
on  a  bag  of  gold-dust,  while  robbers  were  feeling 
all  around  them  for  it.  Passengers  have  resorted 
to  all  manner  of  devices  to  conceal  their  valuables, 
and  messengers  have  remained  quietly  in  a  dark 
corner  till  the  stage  drove  on,  and  then  gotten  out 
and  gone  back  and  interrupted  the  bandits  with  a 
charge  of  buckshot. 

What  is  known  as   the    Soda  Springs   robbery 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


167 


occurred  July  18,  1877.  It  was  Wednesday  about 
half-past  three  in  the  afternoon  that  two  men  sprang 
from  the  brush  as  the  stage  reached  a  point  about 
one  and  one-half  miles  north  of  the  springs,  and 
ordered  the  driver  to  stop.  Tom  Tyndall  was  hold- 
ing the  reins,  and  when  he  saw  their  weapons 
pointed  at  him,  he  pulled  in  on  them  and  let  the 
whole  weight  of  his  foot  rest  on  the  brake.  The 
only  passenger  aboard  was  compelled  to  pass  out  the 
mail  sacks,  and  as  the  treasure- box  was  chained,  the 
driver  was  told  to  dismount,  while  one  of  the  robbers 
chopped  it  open  with  the  stage  axe.  They  found 
$600  in  coin  in  the  box.  Deciding  not  to  molest  the 
mail,  they  had  the  passenger  load  it  on  again  and 
then  ordered  the  driver  to  go  on.  When  the  news 
reached  Yreka  great  efforts  were  made  to  capture 
the  two  men,  which  was  done  by  John  Hendricks, 
Charles  Carroll,  Richard  Hubbard  and  two  Indians. 
Tbe  Indians  followed  their  trail  to  near  Trinity  Cen- 
ter, where  they  were  found  in  camp  early  in  the 
morning.  One  of  them  was  secured,  but  the  other 
ran  and  was  shot  by  Carroll  and  one  of  the  Indians 
and  killed.  His  name  was  Joseph  Blanchard.  The 
other,  named  William  Barber,  was  taken  to  Yreka 
jail,  and  when  brought  up  for  trial  plead  guilty. 
Judge  Shearer  sent  him  to  San  Quentin  for  fifteen 
years. 

About  three  o'clock  Saturday  morning,  September 
7,  1878,  Charles  Williams  was  driving  the  south- 
bound stage  up  the  Scott  mountain  grade.  When 
within  eighty  yards  of  the  summit  he  was  ordered 
to  stop  by  three  men,  one  of  whom  kept  him  cov- 
ered with  a  revolver.  John  E.  Reynolds,  the  express 
messenger,  sat  on  the  inside  in  the  dark,  while  the 
man  who  guarded  the  driver  stood  in  the  light  of 
the  stage-lamp.  Williams  asked  the  man  to  take 
his  pistol  off  him,  as  he  was  unarmed  and  did  not 
intend  to  resist.  The  tequest  was  complied  with, 
and  as  soon  as  the  pistol  was  lowered  Reynolds  fired 
his  gun  from  the  inside,  killing  the  robber  instantly. 
The  team  then  began  to  run,  and  quickly  disappeai'ed 
over  the  summit,  followed  by  four  shots  from  the 
two  abandoned  robbers.  After  running  a  short 
distance  one  of  the  wheel-horses  fell,  having  been 
shot  in  the  shoulder.  The  robbers  had  fled,  and 
Williams  and  Reynolds  camped  there  all  night. 
Word  was  sent  to  Callahan's,  and  the  body  of  the 
dead  robber  was  taken  there,  and  an  inquest  held  by 
Justice  Denny.  It  proved  to  be  Andy  Marsh. 
Parties  searched  in  all  directions  for  the  other  two, 
who  were  caught  a  week  later  near  the  head  of  the 
Trinity  by  J.  W.  Conant,  Richard  Hubbard,  and 
another  man.  They  gave  their  names  as  Charles 
Mitchell  and  Charles  Brown,  but  proved  to  be 
Thomas  Jackson  and  Martin  Tracy.  Judge  Shearer 
sentenced  the  former  to  ten  and  the  latter  to  five 
years  in  San  Quentin. 

About  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  sixteenth 
of  October,  1876,  F.  L.  Tickner  leit  Scott  Bar  with 
the  stage  for  Fort  Jones,  having  Searles  Tompkins 
and  seven  Chinamen  for  passengers.  When  he 
arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  the  passengers 
got  out  to  walk,  Squire  Tompkins  and  five  China- 
men going  just  ahead  of  the  leaders,  while  the  other 
two  were  near  the  bind  wheel  of  the  stage.  Close 
behind  was  John  Magoffey  with  a  load  of  hay.  Just 
then  a  man  rose  up  from  behind  a  log  and  called  to 


the  driver  to  halt.  Tickner  saw  a  shot-gun  staring 
him  in  the  face,  and  behind  it  a  man  with  his  face  and 
hands  blackened  and  his  eyes  and  wrists  covered 
with  flour,  and  reined  in  his  team  at  once.  A 
demand  for  the  box  was  repeated  twice  before  he 
began  to  realize  what  was  the  matter,  and  as  the 
gun  began  trembling  in  the  excited  man's  hand, 
Tickner  hastily  passed  out  the  tin  box,  which  con- 
tained §1,252  in  gold-dust,  belonging  to  A.  B.  Car- 
lock,  and  a  revolver.  John  Magoffey  then  called 
out  that  he  knew  who  the  man  was  which  caused 
the  robber  to  point  the  gun  at  him,  who  asked  if 
he  wanted  his  load  of  hay,  also,  and  then  relapsed 
into  silence.  Taking  charge  of  the  box,  the  dis- 
guised man  said,  "Drive  on  quick,  quick,"  a  remark 
which  led  them  to  believe  he  was  an  Indian.  All  were 
satisfied  that  the  man  had  confederates,  or  he  would 
not  have  attempted  the  robbery  under  such  circum- 
stances. Upon  returning  to  the  place  in  the  after- 
noon, the  empty  box  was  found,  also  a  piece  of 
lining,  which  the  robber  had  torn  from  his  coat  and 
wrapped  around  the  lockof  his  gun  to  protect  the  caps 
from  moisture,  was  discovered  where  he  had  lain 
beside  the  log.  An  Indian  named  Billy  who  lived 
on  the  river  was  suspected,  and  when  it  was  ascer- 
tained that  he  had  borrowed  a  gun  and  returned  it  the 
day  of  the  robbery,  he  was  arrested  and  the  piece  of 
cloth  found  to  fit  a  hole  torn  in  the  lining  of  his 
coat,  with  which  it  matched.  He  then  confessed 
and  said  that  Alexander  Condrey  and  Eli  Kelly  had 
induced  him  to  commit  the  act,  and  at  the  time  the 
stage  was  stopped  were  standing  on  a  small  hill 
near  the  road,  hidden  by  the  brush.  In  confirma- 
tion of  this  he  went  to  the  place  and  found  the  foot- 
prints of  the  men.  After  getting  the  Indian  to  do 
all  the  dangerous  part  of  the  work,  they  took 
charge  of  the  dust  and  refused  to  give  him  his  share. 
The}7  were  arrested,  and  District  Attorney  H.  B. 
Gillis  had  them  indicted  and  prosecuted  the  case  to 
a  conviction.  They  were  sentenced  by  Judge 
Shearer,  Condrey  to  ten  years,  Kelly  to  eight,  and 
Billy  to  five.  The  Indian  died  in  San  Quentin, 
while  the  other  two  were  pardoned  out  after  serving 
about  three  years. 

TELEGRAPH. 

In  1854  the  Marysville  and  Yreka  Telegraph 
Company  was  incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$65,000,  divided  into  shares  of  $100  each.  The 
incorporators  were  N.  B.  S.  Coleman  and  A.  C. 
Hunter,  of  Sacramento,  and  F.  G.  Hearn,  of  Yreka. 
They  opened  subscription  books,  and  the  project  was 
advancing  finely,  when  the  failure  of  Page,  Bacon 
&  Co.  inflicted  a  blow  from  which  it  never  recov- 
ered. In  the  summer  of  185G,  Mr.  Case  came 
through  here  in  the  interest  of  another  Marysville 
and  Yreka  Telegraph  Company,  with  a  capital  stock 
of  $100,000.  This  one  was  successful,  and  the  line 
was  completed  in  185.S,  and  afterwards  to  Portland 
Another  wire  has  since  been  added  by  the  Western 
Union  Telegraph  Company,  to  which  the  line  now 
belono-s.  One  of  these  wires  is  used  for  local  busi- 
ness, while  the  other  takes  all  the  through  business 
from  Portland  to  San  Francisco.  As  the  line  is  too 
lon»  for  a  battery  to  work,  a  repeating  station  has 
been  established  at  Yreka,  where  automatic,  duplex 
repeating  instruments  have  been  put  in.      For   this 


16S 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


reason  Yreka  is  the  most  important  office  on  the  line, 
and  the  repeaters  have  to  be  watched  carefully  to 
keep  them  in  good  working  order.  They  are  used 
chiefly  at  night,  at  which  time  C.  L.  Healy,  who  put 
them  in,  is  on  duty.  The  office  is  in  charge  of  W. 
J.  Wallis,  who  presides  in  the  day-time. 

RAILROADS. 

The  subject  of  a  railroad  has  been  one  much  dis- 
cussed for  the  past  twenty  years,  and  the  reported 
intentions  of  the  managers  and  the  appearance  of 
surveying  parties  this  summer,  have  revived  and 
clothed  it  with  additional  interest.  That  Siskiyou 
county,  as  a  whole,  would  be  largely  benefited  by 
the  construction  through  it  of  a  line  of  railway  con- 
necting with  either  San  Francisco  or  Portland,  or 
both,  is  beyond  argument.  That  certain  classes  of 
business,  certain  localities  and  certain  persons,  would 
be  materially  injured  by  such  a  road,  is  also  beyond 
question;  but  it  is  universally  conceded  that  the 
sum  of  good  will  so  far  exceed  the  injury  as  to  make 
the  railroad  a  thing  much  to  be  desired. 

In  1863,  the  California  and  Oregon  Railroad  Com- 
pany surveyed  a  route  from  Sacramento  to  Portland, 
following  through  the  mountains  the  general  course 
of  the  stage  road.  It  was  then  made  to  pass 
through  Yreka,  and  wras  estimated  that  the  highest 
grade  would  not  exceed  100  feet  to  the  mile,  or 
the  greatest  cost  per  mile  $100,000.  Since  then, 
two  other  surveys  have  been  made,  and  the  line,  as 
staked  out,  passes  down  Shasta  valley,  leaving  Yreka 
several  miles  to  the  west.  The  road  was  built  as 
far  as  Redding,  in  Shasta  county,  and  another  road 
from  Portland  to  Roseburg.  Since  then  a  great 
deal  has  been  said  about  the  two  roads  extending 
their  lines  so  as  to  connect  at  the  State  line. 

During  the  past  summer  several  surveying  parties 
in  the  employ  of  the  Oregon  road  have  been  surveying 
a  route  from  Roseburg  to  the  State  line,  to  locate  an 
extension  to  meet  the  California  road.  They  have 
also  been  at  work  further  west  on  a  route  to  Hum- 
boldt bay,  to  see  if  a  line  to  that  point  and  down  the 
coast  to  San  Francisco  is  not  practicable.  Thus  far 
the  Central  Pacific  has  shown  no  symptoms  of  a 
desire  to  extend  north  from  Redding  to  connect  with 
the  proposed  extension  of  the  Oregon  road,  but  it  is 
hoped  that  the  move  in  the  direction  of  Humboldt 
bay  will  compel  them  to  take  the  desired  action. 

A  narrow-guage  road  has  been  surveyed  from 
Reno  to  Roseburg,  going  through  Modoc  county, 
and  a  few  miles  have  been  graded  north  from  Reno. 
This  would  bring  a  railroad  station  but  a  few  miles 
nearer  than  Redding.  A  narrow-guage  road  from 
Jacksonville  to  Crescent  City,  Ellensburg,  or  some 
point  on  the  coast  has  received  considerable  atten- 
tion, but  no  steps  have  been  taken  to  construct  such 
a  line. 

That  the  Oregon  road  will  extend  so  as  to  be  con- 
nected with  San  Francisco  seems  now  to  be  certain, 
and  it  also  seems  to  depend  on  the  Central  Pacific 
whether  such  connection  shall  be  made  through 
Siskiyou  county  or  not.  A  few  months  more  will 
settle  the  question  beyond  a  doubt. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

SISKIYOU  PATRIOTISM. 

That  the  fires  of  patriotism  burned  as  brightly  in 
the  heart  of  the  mountains,  far  removed  from  the 
scene  of  strife,  as  it  did  elsewhere,  it  needs  but  a 
glance  at  the  succeeding  pages  to  discover.  No- 
where else  was  a  more  devoted  love  for  the  Union 
displayed  than  in  Siskiyou  county,  and  to-day  the 
people  point  to  the  aid  they  rendered  their  country 
in  her  hour  of  trial  and  need,  with  justifiable  pride. 

YREKA    UNION    CLUB. 

When  the  news  of  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter  and 
the  lowering  of  the  national  flag  to  the  armed  forces 
of  rebellion  reached  Yreka,  the  same  thrill  of  excite- 
ment and  patriotic  fervor  that  had  run  through  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  land  passed  over  the  com- 
munity. A  meeting  was  called  to  perfect  an  organ- 
ization that  should  have  for  its  object  the  expres- 
sion of  love  for  the  constitution,  confidence  in  the 
administration  and  a  purpose  to  uphold  its  hands  in 
the  enforcement  of  the  laws.  On  Saturday  even- 
ing, May  4,  1861,  a  large  concourse  of  citizens  gath- 
ered at  the  court  house,  and  were  greeted  by  the 
patriotic  strains  of  "  Hail  Columbia,"  "  Tue  Star- 
Spangled  Banner,"  and  "  Yankee  Doodle,"  rendered 
by  the  Yreka  Brass  Band.  Dr.  G.  C.  Furber  called 
the  meeting  to  order  and  the  following  officers  were 
elected  for  the  evening:  E.  Steele,  president;  George 
C.  Furber,  J.  S.  Peck  and  G.  Lanphier,  vice-presi- 
dents; C.  H.  Pollard,  secretary.  A  committee  con- 
sisting of  W.  P.  Melindy,  A.  D.  Crooks,  Joseph  M.l- 
ler,  W.  I.  Mayfield,  and  W.  W.  Beman  were  selected 
to  prepare  resolutions,  and  while  they  were  engaged 
in  performing  this  duty,  Dr.  I.  H.  Harris  addressed 
the  meeting  in  an  eloquent  speech  that  called  out 
hearty  and  continued  applause.  Tue  resolutions 
adopted  show  the  spirit  of  patriotism  that  animated 
the  people. 

Whereas,  our  Nation  is  now  involved  in  revolution  and  a  war 
for  the  permanent  diss  lution  "f  the  Union;  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  as  citizens  of  the  United  States  and  of  the  State 
of  California,  we  are  in  favor  of  m  dnt  lining  the  integrity  of  the 
Union  and  the  honor  of  the  American  nag  againsi  all  opposition, 
whether  traitors  at  home  or  eueinies  abroad. 

Resolved,  That  in  our  opinion  the  Union  of  States  formed 
under  the  Constitution  was  intended  to  be  perpetual,  and  that 
the  right  of  secession  on  the  part  of  any  of  the  Slates  without 
the  consent  of  the  whole  does  not  exist. 

Resolved,  That  the  Government  of  the  United  States  possesses 
the  inherent  right  to  use  force  if  necess  iry  to  preserve  its  integ- 
rity and  to  force  the  execution  of  its  laws,  and  that  all  its  con- 
stitutional efforts  shall  receive  our  hearty  support. 

Resolved,  That  as  Californians  we  are  firmly  and  unalterably 
attached  to  the  American  Union,  that  we  look  with  disfavor  upon 
any  attempt  to  erect  a  Pacific  Republic;  and  that  we  desire  no  flag 
to  float  over  us  except  the  broad  ensign  of  the  stars  and  stripes. 

Resolved,  That  we  will  support  the  present  Chief  Magistrate  of 
the  Union  in  his  efforts  to  carry  out  the  letter  of  the  Constitution 
and  the  enforcement  of  the  laws. 

Resolved,  That  the  object  of  this  meeting  is  simply  to  give 
expression  to  the  union-loving  sentiment  of  our  country,  without 
regard  to  political  parties  or  party  issues. 

Resolved,  That  we  invite  all  good  citizens  to  join  us  in  the 
organization  of  Union  Clubs. 

Resolution  number  two  met  with  a  little  oppo- 
sition, but  was  carried  with  enthusiasm.  The  meet- 
ing adjourned  until  the  next  Saturday  night,  when 
the  "  Yreka  Union  Club"  was  organized  with  Will- 
iam S.  Moses,  president ;  Dr.  D.  Ream  and  A.  D. 
Crooks,  vice-presidents;  C.  H.  Pollard,  secretary. 


Ill 


1  jflt  $KJ 


P.  A.  HEARTSTRAND. 


P.   A.   HEARTSTRAND. 

Among  the  natives  of  a  foreign  land  who  have 
settled  in  Siskiyou  county,  and  by  quiet  industry 
and  unassuming  integrity  have  aided  materially  in 
its  development,  none  are  more  prominent  than  P. 
A.  Heartstrand.  He  was  born  near  Helsingborff, 
Sweden,  October  18,  1821.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
went  to  sea  as  a  cabin  boy.  The  vessel  touched  at 
Montevideo  and  Buenos  Ayres,  in  South  America, 
then  at  New  York,  and  then  returned  home. 
Heartstrand,  who  was  now  a  seaman,  went  to 
England  and  engaged  two  years  in  sailing  from 
there  to  Constantinople  and  Odessa,  and  in  1844 
went  to  New  York.  He  was  in  Philadelphia  when 
hostilities  commenced  in  Mexico,  and  went  to  New 
Orleans,  and  then  to  Mexico,  enlisting  in  the  United 
States  Navy.  He  served  as  quartermaster  on  the 
propeller  Massachusetts  during  the  whole  war,  and 
went  to  San  Francisco  as  second  officer  in  June, 
1849,  in  the  coast  survey  service.      The  survey  was 


turned  over  to  the  navy  department,  and  Heart- 
strand received  his  discharge.  He  acted  for  a  time 
as  storekeeper  on  a  vessel  in  the  harbor,  and  then 
sailed  as  chief  mate  of  a  clipper  brig  in  the  coast 
trade.  In  April,  1850,  he  went  to  the  Mariposa 
mines,  and  then  returned  to  San  Francisco.  In 
March,  1851,  he  sailed  to  Trinidad,  from  which 
place  lie  went  to  Salmon  river,  and  in  the  fall  to 
Yreka.  There  he  mined  till  January,  1852,  when  in 
company  with  Asa  White  and  Mr.  Holt,  he  pur- 
chased the  place  he  now  lives  on,  which  had  been 
located  the  fall  previous.  Since  that  time  Mr. 
Heartstrand  has  devoted  himself  to  agriculture  with 
great  assiduity,  and  is  one  of  the  most  successful 
and  respected  citizens  of  Scott  valley.  In  1856  he 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Rough  and  Ready 
mill  at  Etna.  He  is  now  sixty  years  of  age,  tall, 
rugged  and  strong,  with  strongly  marked  Scandi- 
navian features,  and  a  countenance  that  clearly  indi- 
cates the  generosity  and  integrity  of  his  character. 
He  has  never  experienced  the  trials  of  matrimony. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


L69 


The  club  purchased  two  cannon  at  an  expense 
of  $100  and  an  elegant  flag,  which  have  bel- 
lowed forth  their  congratulations  and  fluttered 
proudly  in  the  breeze  upon  every  occasion  of  public 
rejoicing  since  that  day,  the  fourth  of  July,  1861, 
-when  they  first  gave  expression  to  the  deep  spirit  of 
patriotism  that  animated  the  hearts  of  the  people  of 
Siskiyou  county.  That  was  a  grand  celebration, 
and  was  participated  in  by  Union  Clubs  and  organ- 
izations of  those  who  loved  their  country  for  miles 
around.  After  this  the  society,  as  an  active  organiza- 
tion, ceased  to  exist,  but  its  spirit  has  never  died  and 
has  since  been  manifested  in  a  hundred  Avays. 

The  following  names  were  borne  upon  the  roll  of 
the  club: — John  S.  Peck,  George  C.  Furber,  Charles 
E.  Burrows,  E.  Wadsworth,  William  Maitin,  John 
Eldridge,  Joseph  Miller,  W.  I.  Mayfield,  J.  A.  Glas- 
cock, J.  R.  Currv,  J.  S.  Fellows,  D.  A.  Jencks,  J.  S. 
Cleland,  J.  T.  Stout,  E.  C.  Farmer,  D.  Field.  D.  S 
Kenyon,  H.  Solaro,  George  W.  Chase,  E.  C.  Gra- 
ham,   James    Clarkson,  J.   Read,  William    Morton, 

C.  E.  Bowin,  Wiilian  Dain,  William  Thompson, 
Benjamin  Needhmn,  W.  S.  R  Tavlor,  Robert  Bainl, 
H.  D.  Van  VVyck,  J.  W.  Ridley,  H.  T.  Shepard, 
William  S.  Moses,  N.  C.  Mayhew,  E.  Steele,  H. 
Wadsworth,  A.   E.    Ravnes,   W.  W.   Farmer,   John 

D.  Cosby,  Thomas  P.  Greene,  A.  J.  Lvon,  W.  P, 
Melindy,  E.  W.  Fo  ter,  W.  W.  Reman,  George  W. 
Jackson,  John  C.  Emmons,  Charles  Boehm,  David 
Cairick,  A.  V.  Burns,   A.  E.   Paine,  Thomas   Smith, 

E.  D.  Guniger,  A.  S.  Claik,  A.  Kenner,  G.  Lan- 
phier,  J.  P.  Farmer,  A.  D.  Crooks.  L.  M.  Keteham, 
J.  W.  Brown,  Charles  Herzog,  J.  Martin,  C.  H. 
Pollard,  J.  M.  Woodworth,  John  Murray,  J.  J. 
Goff,  L.  Wevmire,  George  B.  Hdl,  E.  Cress,  John 
Kennedy,  M.  Stoker,  John  Culbert,  F.  J.  Owen,  W. 
Pitts,  L.  Tesh,  C.  Able.  F.  J.  King,  I.  Anderson,  J. 
Lamb,  W.  T.  Carson,  J.  Oelwick,  William  Thomas, 
P.  WThite,  L.  D.  Wither-ill,  William  P  Nicholas,  L. 
Lamb,  Louis  Deter,  F.  Dingman,  G.  F.  West,  J. 
Upham,  R.  Alcott,  N.  B.  Webster,  N.  A.  Handy,  H. 
M.  Bowman,  R.  G.  French,  H.  F.  Tardy,  J.  T  Skin- 
ner, Charles  A.  Reed,  S.  McNeil,  William  H  Hald, 
William  R.  Kenny,  J.  W.  Carpenter,  William  Short, 
B.  Simpson,  H.  E.  Lowrey,  C.  Gazkey,  R.  R.  Gates, 
N.  B.  Woolley,  T.  W.  Randall,  M.  L.  Heniv,  H.  J. 
Underbill,  R. 'Wicks,  H.  B.  Warren,  S.  Wetzel,  Peter 
La  Gue\al,  J.   McLaughlin,  J.  Rammers,  S.  Weeks, 

E.  Engleman,  A.  G.  Houghton,  J.  Curhart,  J.  D. 
Root,  S.  Maurer,  D.  Farrington,  E.  Avers,  J.  Gray, 
William  E.  Johnson,  T.  J.  Trimble,  L.  D.  Ladd,  H. 
Ei-ickson,  C.  Stall,  R.  G.  Strickland,  W.  D.  Kellogg, 
William  Corcoran,  Orloff  Norman,  B.  B.  Handy, 
William  McMurren,  A.  Peterson,  Leon  Marneisse, 
Joseph  Deming,  Charles  Le  Beau,  S.  H.  Crary,  W. 

F.  Price,  H.  K.  White,  George  Miller,  George  F. 
Price,  Jonas  W.  Brown,  H.  G.  Field,  D.  E.  English. 

THE   UNION   LEAGUE. 

During  the  years  1863-64,  when  treason  was  ram- 
pant in  the  Northern  States,  and  those  who  sympa- 
thized with  rebels,  sought  by  every  means  in 
their  power  to  cripple  and  hamper  the  government 
in  its  efforts'  to  put  down  the  rebellion,  were  organ- 
ized such  treason-breeding  associations  as  the 
"  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle,"  "  Sonsof  Liberty," 
and  others.  A  movement  was  made  in  a  counter 
direction  by  the  loyal  citizens  of  every  State,  and 
32 


Union  Leagues  sprang  up  on  every  hand,  ready  to 
counteract  the  insidious  efforts  of  the  plotters,  and, 
if  necessary,  to  meet  force  with  force.  In  California 
the  Union  League  was  regularly  organized,  and  had 
branches  in  nearly  every  town  of  importance  in  the 
State.  Having  procured  the  work  of  the  league,  E. 
Steele  called  a  meeting  of  those  interested  in  form- 
ing a  branch  league  in  Yreka,  at  his  office,  Saturday 
night,  April  25,  1863.  E.  W.  Potter,  was  chosen 
chairman,  and  H.  B.  Warren  ami  A.  P.  Mc.Carton, 
secretaries.  On  the  ninth  of  May,  at  an  adjourned 
meeting,  the  league  was  regularly  organized,  with 
the  objects  above  set  forth.  The  officers  were: — 
William  Grow,  president;  E.  W.  Potter  ami  Louis 
Autenrieth,  vice-presidents;  H.  B.  Warren  and  A. 
P.  McCarton,  secretaries.  The  members  all  took  the 
following  pledge:  "  We  pledge  ourselves  to  an  uncon- 
ditional loyalty  to  the  government  of  the  United 
States,  to  an  unswerving  support  of  the  adminis- 
tration in  its  efforts  to  suppress  the  rebellion,  and  to 
spare  no  endeavor  to  maintain  unimpaired  the 
national  unity,  both  in  principle  and  territorial 
boundary."  For  a  time  the  league  flourished  and 
fulfilled  the  object  of  its  being,  but  later  it  began  to 
be  used  for  political  purposes,  and  its  days  of  usi  ful- 
ness were  then  passed,  and  many  of  its  former  worthy 
members  became  estranged. 

THE   SANITARY   RELIEF   FUND. 

It  is  impossible  to  paint  with  words  a  truthful 
picture  of  the  work  accomplished  during  the  great 
rebellion  by  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission, 
and  the  blessings  that  flowed  from  it  on  every  hand. 
Many  a  soldier,  as  his  life-blood  slowly  oozed  away 
in  the  hospital,  died  while  asking  God  to  bless  the 
kind  hands  and  loving  hearts  that  had  smoothed  his 
passage  to  a  patriotic  grave.  Many  a  mother,  sister, 
wife  or  betrothed  thought  of  the  loved  one  faraway 
on  the  battle  field,  or  lying  sick  or  wounded  in  the 
hot  or  crowded  hospital,  as  she  industriously  scraped 
lint  or  rolled  bandages  that  were  destined  to  relieve 
the  pain  and  save  the  lives  of  thousands  of  loyal 
s  Idiers.  Generous-h  arted  citizens  all  through  the 
land,  unable  themselves  to  shoulder  the  musket  in 
defense  of  their  country,  went  down  deep  into  their 
pockets  and  provided  the  means  to  alleviate  the  suf- 
ferings of  those  who  had  devoted  their  lives  to  the 
service  of  their  country.  At  first  these  efforts  were 
feeble  and  undirected.  Delicacies  and  clothing  were 
sent  by  thoughtful  and  kind-hearted  people  to  the 
regiments  to  which  their  friends  belonged,  but  such 
were  the  uncertainties  of  war,  ami  such  eager  crowds 
of  unscrupulous  rascals  hang  upon  the  skirts  of  an 
army  and  fatten  upon  the  necessities  of  the  soldiers, 
that  these  kind  gifts  were  frequently  directed 
from  their  proper  course  and  were  entirely  inade- 
quate to  meet  the  urgent  demand  for  relief.  One 
case  of  this  kind  is  known  to  the  writer,  where  a 
soldier  in  an  Illinois  regiment  actually  bought  his 
own  mother's  butter  from  the  camp  sutler  at  a 
high  price.  Wines,  jellies,  delicacies  and  clothing 
sent  to  the  hospitals  fell  into  the  hands  of  unscrupu- 
lous surgeons  and  nurses  with  a  speculative  turn  of 
mind,  and  the  poor,  fevered  suffererson  the  hard  cota 
profited  but  little  by  them.  This  state  of  affairs 
soon  become  known  Letters  from  every  tent  on 
the  field  of  battle  disclosed  the  doings  of  i  he,e  cor- 
morants, and  there  was  a  loud  cry  through  the  laud 


170 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY   CALIFORNIA. 


for  some  action  to  be  taken  to  remedy  the  evil  and 
facilitate  the  good  work  so  many  desired  to  do. 
This  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the  United 
States  Sanitary  Commission,  with  headquarters  in 
the  city  of  New  York.  Of  this  society  Rev.  Henry 
W.  Bellows  was  chosen  chairman,  and  proved  to  be 
the  right  man  in  the  right  place.  An  eloquent 
appeal  for  aid  was  sent  out,  and  organizations  were 
formed  in  all  the  chief  cities  that  soon  spread  into 
the  surrounding  towns,  until  a  little  root  sank  deep 
into  every  community  and  gathered  nourishment  for 
the  parent  stem.  Within  two  weeks  from  the  time 
the  call  went  out  San  Francisco  sent  $160,000, 
while  in  less  than  a  month  over  $6,000  went  from 
the  county  of  Siskiyou.  The  contributions  in  this 
county  were  made  in  the  following  manner: — A  call 
was  issued  for  a  sanitary  meeting  at  the  courthouse 
in  Yreka,  Wednesday  night,  September  1,  1862, 
which  was  responded  to  by  a  large  concourse  of 
people.  Dr.  E.  Wadsworth  was  chosen  chairman, 
and  H.  B.  Warren,  secretary.  After  a  statement 
of  the  object  of  the  gathering  and  a  discussion  of 
the  best  means  to  carry  it  into  effect,  it  was  decided 
to  appoint  a  central  committee  to  receive  contribu- 
tions. The  gentlemen  charged  with  this  trust  were 
Dr.  E.  Wadsworth,  William  Irwin,  M.  Sleeper,  C. 
E.  Burrows,  Jerome  Churchill,  John  Colby,  and 
Henry  Fried.  This  committee  organized  by  elect- 
ing William  Irwin,  president,  and  E.  Wadsworth, 
secretary  and  treasurer.  An  appeal  to  the  loyal 
and  generous  of  Siskiyou  county  was  published, 
accompanied  by  the  following  list  of  sub-committees, 
authorized  to  i*eceive  and  forward  subscriptions: — 

Callahan's  Ranch — James  Crossen. 

South  Fork — O.  Norman,  M.  McGreavy. 

French  Flat— E.  H.  Hall. 

Center  Precinct — John  McConaughv. 

Etna  Mills— N.  S.  Warren. 

Rough  and  Ready — Abisha  Swain. 

Oro  Fino — Dr.  J.  E.  Mooers,  Jonathan  Green,  F. 
Campbell. 

Pinery  and  Mugginsville — George  Oulton. 

Fort  Jones — A.  B.  Carlock,  R.  S.  Green,  Diggles 
&  Bro. 

McAdam's  Creek — A.  Bowers,  M.  Rosenberg. 

Indian  Creek— F.  M.  Hooper,   C.  N.  Thornbury. 

Scott  Bar— Chas.  W.  Prindle,  Chas.  Jost,  C.  H. 
Frink. 

Johnson's  Bar— W.  H.  Swift. 

French  Bar— D.  F.  Finley. 

Sciad — Wm.  B.  Reeves. 

Beaver  and  Hungry  Creeks — A.  D.  Sloan. 

Virginia  Bar — James  Coffman,  F.  Hillert. 

Lower  Humbug — E.  B.  Lovelace,  W.  D.  Walker. 

Mowry's  Flat— L.  P.  Mickleson. 

NorthFork  of  Humbug— W.G.  Rider,  D.  Merrick. 

Cottonwood — A.  Haserick,  J.  V.  Brown,  Wm. 
Sharp. 

Willow  Creek — James  Bradley. 

Little  Shasta — Cornelius  Haight,  Thomas  Ster- 
ling. 

Soda  Springs — Isaac  Fry. 


J.  H.  Sisson. 
R.  A.  Gordon,  D.  C.  Stevens,  E.  Car- 


Sulloway's 
Butteville 
rick. 

Lower  Greenhorn — A.  E.  Schwatka 
Upper  Greenhorn — David  Watson, 


Canal  Gulch — John  Justice. 

Hawkinsville — Henry  Sells,  J.  H.  Bull. 

Within  a  month  over  $6,000  were  sent  in  by  these 
gentlemen,  and  forwarded  to  the  committee  at  San 
Francisco.  All  money  and  contributions  of  clothing, 
lint,  bandages,  etc.,  were  forwarded  by  Wells,  Fai-go 
&  Co.,  free  of  charge.  By  a  report  made  February 
16,  1863,  the  contributions  are  found  to  be  distrib- 
uted as  follows: — Butteville,  $31;  Cottonwood, 
$160;  Dead  wood,  $150;  Etna  Mills,  $184;  Fort 
Jones,  $169.50;  French  Bar,  $63.50;  Greenhorn, 
$285.75;  Hungry  Creek,  $208.75;  Hawkinsville, 
$64;  Humbug,  $457 ;  Indian  Creek,  $70;  Johnson's 
Bar,  $137;  Little  Shasta,  $150;  Long  Gulch,  $50; 
McAdams  Creek,  $286;  Mugginsville,  $61.75;  Ohio 
House",  $20;  Oro  Fino,  $150;  Pinery,  $61.75;  Soda 
Springs,  $50;  Sullaway's  $24.25;  Sawyer's  Bar, 
$207.25;  South  Fork,  $124;  Scott  Bar,  $416; 
Simonville,  $125;  Sciad,  $162.50;  Virginia  Bar 
$22;  Willow  Springs,  $13.50;  Yreka,  $2,471,  Total, 
$6,385.50. 

In  addition  to  this  effort  the  Ladies'  Yreka  Lint 
Association  was  organized  October  22,  1862,  with 
Mrs.  S.  M.  Farren,  president;  Mrs.  J.  S.  Fellows  and 
Mrs.  M.  J.  Bradley,  vice-presidents;  Frederick 
Wadsworth,  treasurer ;  and  Mrs.  Jerome  Churchill, 
secretary.  Weekly  meetings  were  held  for  the  pur- 
pose of  preparing  rolls  of  bandages  and  scraping  lint, 
while  contributions  of  material  and  assistance  came 
from  the  ladies  throughout  the  whole  county. 

The  first  fever  having  abated,  sanitary  matters 
lay  in  a  dormant  state,  until  a  thrilling  appeal  was 
received  from  Dr.  Bellows,  in  October,  1863,  calling 
for  a  monthly  contribution  of  $25,000  from  the 
Pacific  coast.  The  East  had  contributed  $3,000,000, 
principally  in  goods,  and  this  coast  was  looked  to 
for  one-half  of  the  ready  money  necessary  to  defray 
expenses,  which  then  amounted  to  $50,000  per 
month.  The  Siskiyou  central  committee  met  and 
re-organized  November  30, 1863,  appointing  sub-com- 
mittees, and  issuing  an  add:  ess  to  the  people  of  the 
county.  Up  to  this  time  $7,000  had  been  forwarded. 
The  action  took  the  form  of  local  sanitary  relief  asso- 
ciations, in  which  the  members  paid  a  monthly  due 
of  fifty  cents,  which  was  collected  and  sent  in  at  the 
bea'innins-  of  each  month.  The  first  to  organize  was 
Deadwood,  November  28,  1863,  with  sixty-three 
members ;  Scott  Bar,  on  the  same  day,  with  one  hun- 
dred members,  and  W.  H.  Frink,  president:  G. 
Bowdish,  secretary;  O.  Goodale,  treasurer.  Oro 
Fino  organized  December  4th,  with  seventy-eight 
members,  Dr.  J.  E.  Mooers,  president;  D.  Gingher, 
secretary.  Humbug  started  with  twenty-five  mem- 
bers ;  Fort  Jones  with  seventy-one ;  and  Little  Shasta 
with  a  good  number.  Crystal  Creek  organized 
December  17th,  with  seventy -nine  members,  Rev. 
Warner  Oliver,  president  ;•  David  H.  Shaw,  vice- 
president;  John  P.  Wilson,  secretary;  A.  P.  Van 
Duzer,  corresponding  secretary ;  John  T.  Moxley, 
treasurer.  These  associations  continued  in  active 
existence  until  their  usefulness  came  to  an  end,  in 
the  summer  of  1865,  a  few  months  after  the  sup- 
pression of  the  rebellion. 

A  similar  association  was  not  formed  in  Yreka, 
but  contributions  were  made  to  the  committee,  gen- 
erally in  the  form  of  a  certain  sum  to  be  paid  each 
month  till  the  close  of  the  war.    On  the  twenty-fifth 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


171 


of  January,  1864,  a  meeting  was  held  in  Yreka  for 
the  purpose  of  arranging  for  a  series  of  public  enter- 
tainments for  the  benefit  of  the  sanitary  fund.  The 
committee  that  was  appointed,  A.  P.  McCarton, 
T.  N.  Stone,  A.  E.  Raynes,  H.  B.  Warren,  C.  H. 
Pollard,  F.  E.  Ensign,  F.  J.  French,  Mrs.  George  W. 
Chase,  Mrs.  W.  S.  Moses,  Mrs.  F.  A.  Rogers,  Mrs. 
Jerome  Churchill,  Miss  A.  Belden,  and  Miss  Anna 
Price,  arranged  a  musical  and  literary  entertainment, 
which  was  given  in  Metropolitan  Hall.  This  was 
followed  by  similar  entertainments,  under  the  name 
ol"'  "  Ladies'  Relief  Soirees."  In  the  fall  of  1864,  a 
series  of  dramatic  representations  was  inaugurated, 
and  given  at  intervals,  until  July  4,  1865,  resulting 
in  the  addition  of  over  $800  to  the  fund.  The  ladies 
throughout  the  county,  also  worked  industriously 
for  many  weeks  preparing  for  a  sanitary  fair,  which 
was  held  in  Yreka,  December  22-3,  1864,  and  real- 
ized $1,045. 

By  such  means  as  this  did  the  county  of  Siskiyou 
respond  nobly  to  the  call  of  duty,  and  to  this  patri- 
otic charity  contribute  in  all  about  $12,000,  besides 
lint,  bandages,  and  clothing.  It  is  a  bright  page  in 
her  history,  and  one  which  every  citizen  should  feel 
proud  to  gaze  upon. 

MEXICAN   VETERANS. 

There  are  a  number  of  veterans  of  the  Mexican 
war  in  Siskiyou  county,  some  of  whom  served  in 
the  army,  and  some  in  the  navy: — W.  A.  Hovey, 
Yreka;  F.  G.  Hearn,  Yreka;  M.  Sleeper,  Yreka; 
F.  J.  King,  Yreka;  B.  F.  Wayne,  Yreka;  E.  W. 
Conner,  Edgewood;  Charles  Gaemlick,  Willow 
Creek;  James  T.  Jones,  Willow  Creek;  J.  M. 
Smith,  Little  Shasta;  P.  A.  Heartstrand,  Etna; 
Robert  S.  Green,  Fort  Jones;  Frederick  Koester, 
Hawkinsville ;  John  D.  Cosby,  deceased;  Charles 
McDermit,  deceased ;  James  L.  Freaner,  deceased. 

There  is  also  one  veteran  of  the  war  of  1812, 
Jesse  Barber,  eighty-four  years  of  age;  and  Duncan 
Cameron,  of  the  Florida  Seminole  war.  No  asso- 
ciation has  ever  been  formed  among  these  survivors 
of  that  contest  that  added  California  to  the  United 
States. 

SISKIYOU  IN  THE  REBELLION. 

Three  companies  from  this  county  were  mustered 
into  the  United  States  service  during  the  progress 
of  the  great  rebellion,  all  of  whom  were  used  on 
the  frontier,  or  in  the  Indian  wars  on  the  coast. 

COMPANY   M.,    SECOND   CAVALRY,    C.    V. 

This  company  was  recruited  in  the  summer  of 
18G1,  and  met  at  Fort  Jones,  September  12,  1861, 
to  elect  officers.  Those  chosen  were: — -Charles 
McDermit,  captain;  George  F.  Price,  first  lieu- 
tenant; Joseph  M.  Woodworth,  second  lieutenant; 
Robert  L.  Tilden,  brevet  second  lieutenant;  R.  L. 
Westbrook,  orderly;  John  Madison,  A.  Stevens, 
M.  M.  Sloan,  and  F.  M.  Bishop,  sergeants.  The 
company  was  mustered  in  at  Camp  Alert,  San 
Francisco,  eighty-three  strong. 

They  were  placed  on  the  overland  trail  in  Nevada, 
Utah,  and  Colorado,  and  bore  an  honorable  part  in 
that  constant  struggle  to  keep  the  trail  open  for 
travel.  The  command  had  a  constant  and  severecam- 
paign  from  the  time  it  enlisted  till  it  was  mustered 


out  in  1865,  having  veteranized  in  1863.  McDermit 
was  promoted  to  be  major,  November  13,  1861,  and 
George  F.  Price  became  captain,  and  it  was  under 
him  that  the  company  served  through  the  campaign. 
In  18C5  Price  became  a  captain  in  the  regular  army, 
in  the  forty-second  cavalry,  and  in  1866  major  and 
then  colonel  of  the  same  reo-iment. 

O 

CHARLES  MCDERMIT 

Was  born  in  Cambria  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  7, 
1820.  He  was  educated  at  Ebensburg  in  the  same 
State,  and  learned  the  cabinet  trade.  In  1846  he 
enlisted  as  second  lieutenant  in  Company  D,  Second 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  commanded  by  Col.  John 
W.  Geary.  He  served  through  the  Mexican  war, 
was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant,  and  received  his 
discharge  in  1848.  The  next  year  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia via  Vera  Cruz  ami  Mexico,  superintended  the 
building  of  the  United  States  barracks  at  Benicia, 
built  and  operated  a  saw-mill  at  Bodega,  and  went  to 
Trinidad  in  the  spring  of  1850.  He  prospected  and 
mined  through  this  region  for  two  years,  and  in 
1852  was  elected  the  first  sheriff  of  Siskiyou  county. 
The  same  year  he  was  engaged  in  expeditions  to 
found  Crescent  City  and  to  protect  emigrants  in  the 
Modoc  country.  In  1853  he  was  in  the  cattle  trade 
on  the  plains,  and  in  1S54  went  into  saw  and  grist 
mill  business  at  Etna,  where  he  also  had  a  cabinet 
shop.  In  1859  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly,  and 
again  in  1860,  and  in  1861  offered  his  services  to 
his  country.  He  was  chosen  captain  of  Company 
M.  Second  Cavalry,  C.  V.,  and  was  promoted  to  major 
November  13,  1861.  He  was  placed  in  command 
of  Fort  Churchill,  Nevada,  and  May  1,  1865,  was 
promoted  to  lieutenant  colonel  and  given  command 
of  that  department.  August  8,  1865,  he  was  killed 
in  an  Indian  battle  in  Green  River  valley,  near 
Owyhee,  Nevada.  He  was  married  in  1855  to  a 
sister  of  William,  James,  and  Jeremiah  Davidson, 
who  is  now  living  in  Fort  Jones  with  her  three 
children. 

COMPANY   A,  FIFTH   INFANTRY,  C.  V. 

In  the  summer  of  1863  a  company  was  recruited 
in  Siskiyou  county  for  the  cavalry  service,  chose  its 
officers  and  went  at  its  own  expense  to  Camp  Alert, 
eighty  strong,  to  be  mustered  in.  There  the  author- 
ities would  not  receive  them  as  a  distinct  organiza- 
ton,  but  wanted  to  distribute  them  among  other  com- 
panies whose  ranks  were  not  yet  full.  They  would 
not  consent  to  this,  and  sixty  of  them  went  to  Sac- 
ramento and  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Fifth  Infantry. 
Their  officers  were: — Joseph  Smith,  captain ;  Thomas 
P.  Cunningham,  first  lieutenant;  William  H.  Hig- 
don,  second  lieutenant:  William  Oman,  orderly; 
Thomas  B.  Sitton,  David  C.  Warner,  Calvin  Dotson 
and  Henry  C.  Foljambe,  sergeants.  The  company 
was  stationed  in  Arizona,--New  Mexico  and  Texas, 
and  passed  with  honor  through  the  trials  of  a  fron- 
tier campaign. 

SISKIYOU   MOUNTAINEERS,  COMPANY  F. 

In  the  fall  of  1863  a  company  was  raised  with 
headcpiarters  at  Fort  Jones,  for  tin-  purpose  of  fight- 
ing the  hostile  Indians  of  Humboldt  county.  They 
were  mustered  in  with  sixty-seven  men  in  January, 
1864,  Robert  Baird,  captain;  A.  W.  Randall,  first 
lieutenant;    H.  B.    Mathewson,    second    lieutenant, 


172 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


They  served  actively  in  the  Indian  wars  of  northern 
California  until  mustered  out  in  June,  1865. 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION. 

Pursuant  to  a  call  by  citizens,  a  meeting  was  held 
in  engine  house,  No.  1,  on  the  evening  of  January 
8,  1876,  to  consider  the  question  of  celebrating  in  a 
fitting  manner  the  fourth  of  the  coming  July,  the 
one-hundredth  anniversary  of  the  signing  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  J.  S.  Cleland  was 
called  to  the  chair,  and  William  Duenkel  chosen  sec- 
retary. A  committee  on  programme  wasappointed, 
consisting  of  Doctor  Daniel  Ri  am,  P.  G.  Strickland, 
James  Vance,  John  Pashburg,  J.  W.  Bird,  E.  H. 
Autenrieth,  R.  O.  DeWitt,  Samuel  Magoffey,  Robert 
Nixon,  Calvin  Edgerton.  Maurice  Renner,  Cliarles 
Peters,  \V.  I.  Nichols,  J.  S.  Cleland,  and  William 
Duenkel.  The  meeting  then  adjourned,  and  again 
assembled  on  the  twenty-second  of  the  same  month 
at  Turner  Hall,  where  the  report  of  the  committee 
was  accepted,  and  the  same  gentlemen  were 
appointed  a  permanent  executive  committee.  The 
committee  organized  bv  choosing  P.  G.  Strickland, 
chairman;  E.  H.  Autenrieth,  secretary,  and  Charles 
C.  Peters,  treasurer. 

Subscriptions  to  the  amount  of  $2,600  were 
received,  of  which  the  city  of  Yreka  gave  $1,000. 
Great  interest  was  taken  all  over  the  county, 
and  when  the  time  arrived  there  were  4,000 
people  present  to  witness  the  celebiation.  Decora- 
tions of  arches,  evergreens,  flags,  and  bunting  were 
made  in  profusion,  especially  on  Miner  street. 

On  the  evening  of  the  third  agiand  torch-hght 
procession  was  formed,  composed  of  a  large  portion 
of  the  procession  arranged  lor  the  following  day,  all 
brilliantly  illuminated  with  torches,  Chinese  lanterns, 
etc.  At  midnight  a  salute  of  one  hundred  guns 
was  fired  from  the  hill  just  east  of  town,  and  at  sun- 
rise a  national  salute  of  thirty-seven  guns,  accom- 
panied with  music. 

At  ten  o'clock  the  procession  formed  as  follows: — 

Grand  Marshal,  William  McConnell. 
Chief  of  Staff,  James  Vance. 

AIDS. 

David  Home,  Antone  Foster,  H.  A.  Morse,  Dennis  Merrick, 

Matthew  Fultz,  J.  B.  Haislip. 

Etna  Brass  Band. 

I.  0.  0.  F.  Lodges. 

CONTINENTAL    CAR, 

Drawn  by  four  horses;  John  Magoffey  and  Minnie  De  Witt  as 

George  and  Martha  Washington.     Henry  Wadsworth,  Eddie 

Wetzel,  Alex.  Eosborough,  Godfrey  Peters,  John  Stim- 

mel,  Cole  Skinner,  Frank  King,  Sarah  Stine,  Mary 

Wetzel,  Ida  Stimmel,  Mary  Uerlings,  Amelia 

Huseman,  Lizzie  Nixon,  Gussie  Ringe, 

Mattie   Pyle,    Helen  Martin, 

and   Annie   McCarton, 

in   Continental 

costume. 

CLIPPER  SHIP, 

Full-rigged,  seventeen  feet  long,  by  Portuguese  miners  of  Haw- 

kinsville. 

turners'  car, 

Drawn  by  six  mules;  representation  of  gymnasium. 

CARRIAGE. 

Jesse  Barber    and  Merrit  Searcy,  veterans  of  the  war  of  1S12, 

and  Bev.  J.  T.  Baldwin,  eighty  years  of  age. 

CAR. 

Columbus,  by  Arthur  Scheld;  and  the  thirteen  original  States 
by  little  girls. 


Yreka  Brass  Band. 
Chief  Engineer,    -   -    -   A.  E.  Baynes. 
Assistant  Engineer,  Theobald  Young. 

Yreka  Engine  No.    1. 

Klamath  Engine  No.  2. 

Siskiyou  H.  &.  L.  No.  1,  drawn  by  four  horses;  representation 
of  quartz  mining  on  truck. 

Ashland  Brass  Band. 
Carriage  containing  officials. 
Mexican  Veterans. 
CAR  OF   THE   UNION, 
Drawn  b3'  four  horses;    Bessie  Martin  as  Grddess  of  Liberty; 
Lena  Burrows  as  Angel  of  Peace;  and  thirty- 
seven  little  girls  as  the  States. 
CONTINENTAL   CAR, 
Drawn   by   four   horses;    Addie  Skinner   and   Matilda   Lemay 
in  costume  of  1776;  Mrs.   Charl  s  Munro,  Belle 
bkinner,  and  Etta  iSleeper,  in  cos- 
tume of  1S76,  siugiiig 
pat  rit  .tic 
songs. 
Carriages  and  Horsemen. 

After  parading  the  principal  streets,  the  proces- 
sion moved  to  the  grove  just  south  of  town,  accom- 
panied by  the  crowd  of  spectators,  where  the  exer- 
cises of  the  day  were  held.  They  were  conducted 
by  Hon.  A.  M.  Rosborouyh,  president  of  the  day, 
who  opened  with  a  few  words  of  welcome.  They 
consisted  of  a  prayer  by  Rev.  E.  L.  Greene,  frequent 
pieces  of  vocal  and  instrumental  music,  and  readino- 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  by  J.  M.  Wal- 
bridge.  The  poet  of  the  day,  W.  I.  Nichols,  then 
read  an  original  poem  entitled,  The  Century's 
Tiium/ihs,  ending  with  the  following  beautiful 
stanza: — 

Our  fathers  in  thrir  honored  graves  lie  low; 
A  century's  triumphs  cruwti  thtir  labors  now; 
Their  toil  is  o'er,  their  strife  forever  done, 
And  ours  the  heritage  their  valor  W"ii. 
(•,  sons  of  freedom!  favored,  chosen  race, 
In  muht  rise  up  to  take  their  honored  place; 
With  justice  girded  and  with  right  m  de  strong, 
Our  country's  honor  and  her  fame  prolong. 
No  lust  of  office  and  no  ?po  Is  of  war 
Her  name  must  t.  r.iish  or  her  beauty  mar. 
Be  ours,  with  care,  to  guard  the  sacied  trust; 
Put  mine  but  trusted  watchmen  at  the  post. 
A  century  finished,  let  our  watchword  be, 
Our  Flag,  our  Country,  and  our  Liberty. 

The  reading  of  the  poem  was  followed  by  a  most 
eloquent  and  patriotic  address  by  the  gifted  orator, 
Calvin  Edgerton,  which  was  received  with  enthu- 
siasm and  hearty  applause. 

A  grand  barbecue  was  then  had  in  the  grove, 
under  the  management  of  R.  O.  De  Witt.  In  the 
evening  a  grand  display  of  fire-works  was  made, 
and  a  ball  held  in  a  mammoth  pavilion  erected  on 
the  corner  of  Center  and  Fourth  streets,  supper 
being  served  in  Turner  Hall.  The  celebration  was 
continued  with  diminished  enthusiasm  for  several 
days. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

SOCIETIES,    FIRE    DEPARTMENT,    AND    MILITIA. 

In  the  following  pages  it  is  undertaken  to  give  a 
brief  history  of  all  existing  societies,  as  well  as  a 
register  of  those  whose  vital  spark  was  long  since 
extinguished. 


WASHINGTON  IRVING  NICHOLS, 

Son  of  Ezra  and  Lorina  (Jeffords)  Nichols,  was 
born  in  Monroe  county,  New  York,  November  3, 
1837.  His  father  was  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  and 
in  early  boyhood  young  Nichols  worked  at  that 
trade,  but  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  entered  the 
academy  at  Otseo,  and  later  received  his  preparation 
for  a  college  course  at  Genesee  Wesleyan  Seminary 
at  Lima,  New  York.  He  entered  Syracuse  Uni- 
versity in  1858,  and  graduated  from  there  in  1862,  in 
full  classical  course.  At  that  time  it  was  known  as 
Genesee  College,  and  owing  to  the  pressure  on  the 
school  they  were  compelled  to  change  to  a  university 
with  all  the  branches  of  science.  After  graduating 
he  became  professor  of  ancient  languages  at  the 
Lewiston  Academy.  At  the  end  of  his  first  term 
there  he  was  elected  principal.  At  the  close  of  the 
first  year  the  reverses  of  our  army  seemed  to 
demand  the  service  of  every  true  and  loyal  son  of 
New  York,  and  he  took  all  the  boys  in  the  institu- 
tion who  were  willing  to  go,  with  the  consent  of 
their  parents,  and  joined  Company  F,  Twenty-second 
Regiment,  New  York  Cavalry,  going  through  the 
campaigns  of  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  etc.  Mr. 
Nichols  was  mustered  out  at  Winchester,  Virginia, 
in  July  or  August,  1865.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  he  was  appointed  agent  of  the  Freedman's 
Bureau,  lecturing  through  western  New  York,  and 


raising  large  amounts  of  money  for  the  cause.  In 
1866  he  attended  a  gathering  at  Albany,  New  York, 
as  delegate  from  Alleghany  county,  to  organize  a 
military  order  still  existing  there,  and  similar  in  its 
character  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  In 
the  minutes  of  the  meeting  we  find  the  name 
recorded  as  Colonel  W.  I.  Nichols,  an  honor  he  dis- 
claims, as  he  says  he  only  represented  the  rank  and 
file  of  the  army.  In  1867  he  removed  to  California. 
After  one  year  spent  in  traveling  over  the  Pacific 
coast,  and  after  teaching  two  years  in  Trinity,  he 
removed  to  Siskiyou  and  taught  continuously,  until 
in  1879  he  was  elected  vice-president  of  Ashland 
College  and  professor  of  mathematics.  He  severed 
his  connection  with  the  institution  in  the  spring  of 
1880,  and  entered  upon  the  practiceof  law  at  Yreka. 
He  enjoys  a  fair  share  of  the  patronage  of  the 
people  of  the  county,  and  possesses  their  confidence 
and  respect.  In  politics  he  is  a  staunch  Republican. 
He  was  married  February  6,  1875,  to  Miss  Jennie  T. 
Baldwin,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  J.  T,  Baldwin,  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  John  Cleland,and 
both  natives  of  Ellicottville,  New  York.  By  this 
union  there  is  one  son,  Charles  Percy,  born  December 
24,  1876.  In  1863,  by  invitation  of  the  trustees 
and  faculty-  of  Syracuse  University,  Mr.  Nichols 
delivered  the  annual  address  before  the  college  senate. 
He  delivered  the  centennial  poem  at  Yreka,  an 
extract  from  which  appears  in  this  volume. 


o 

o 

—J 

DC 

< 

(  > 

_i 

m 

< 

u 

< 

to 

o 

UJ 
2 
Q 

a; 

~3 

u- 

H 

n 

tc 

o 

UJ 

or 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


17:; 


INDEPENDENT  ORDER  OF  ODD  FELLOWS. 

The  work  accomplished  by  this  greatest  exponent 
of  brotherly  love  is  too  well  known  to  require 
rehearsal  here.  The  history  of  the  order  is  briefly 
as  follows: — 

It  was  first  instituted  in  London  in  1745.  Lodges 
were  subsequently  formed  in  Liverpool.  In  the 
year  1800  they  were  all  united  as  the  London  Order. 
In  1809  a  member  introduced  the  order  into  Man- 
chester, and  in  1814  the  lodges  there  united  as  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  of  the  Man- 
chester Unity.  This  proved  to  be  by  far  the  more 
successful  of  the  two  orders.  April  26,  1819,  a 
day  annually  celebrated  in  America,  Thomas  Wildey 
and  others  organized  at  Baltimore  the  first  lodge  of 
the  order  in  the  United  States,  Washington  Lodge, 
No.  1.  This  was  chartered  by  the  Manchester 
Unity,  February  2,  1820.  Since  that  time  over 
1,000,000  persons  have  been  initiated  into  the  order 
in  America.  The  introduction  of  Odd  Fellowship 
into  California  in  1849,  by  the  formation  in  Sacra- 
mento of  an  Odd  Fellows  association  for  the  relief 
of  the  destitute,  is  one  of  the  brightest  pages  in  the 
history  of  the  State.  Since  then  the  order  has 
grown  to  giant  proportions  here,  with  more  than 
20,000  members. 

YREKA   LODGE,    NO.    19. 

The  early  history  of  this  lodge  and  of  the  intro- 
duction of  Odd  Fellowship  in  this  county,  is  related 
in  the  following  letter  by  one  of  the  participants: — 

San  Francisco,  October  26,  1878. 

Dr.  F.  G.  Hear>t,  Yreka,  California — Dear 
Friend  and  Brother:  When  you  were  here  at 
the  session  of  the  Grand  Lodge,  I  met  you  at  the 
"  Russ  House,"  and  in  talking  over  old  times  and 
particularly  of  the  ea  dy  history  of  Odd  Fellowship 
at  Yreka,  you  wished  me  to  write  out  all  I  knew 
on  the  subject  of  the  introduction  of  the  Order  into 
that  remote  part  of  the  State. 

As  there  never  has  been  a  correct  histoiy  given, 
I  propose,  as  far  as  my  memory  will  serve  me,  to 
give  you  in  a  concise  manner  all  I  know  on  the 
subject. 

In  the  winter  of  1852-3,  which  will  be  ever  mem- 
orable to  all  old  Californians,  we  were  snowed  in  at 
Yreka,  so  that  there  was  no  communication  with 
the  outside  world  ;  all  kinds  of  provisions  gave  out, 
not  a  pound  of  flour  was  to  be  had,  and  starvation 
stared  us  in  the  face.  Many  of  us  had  crossed  the 
plains  that  summer,  and  had  nothing  to  depend  on 
but  the  remnants  of  worn-out  stock  that  had  served 
us  so  faithfully  in  our  pilgrimage. 

Captain  David  Morrison,  in  whose  company  I 
traveled  from  Dubuque,  Iowa,  and  a  few  more  of  us 
met  to  consider  what  was  best  to  be  done  for  the 
mutual  benefit  of  the  members  of  the  Order.  It 
was  thought  best  to  call  a  meeting  of  all  Odd 
Fellows  on  a  certain  day,  which  was  on  a  Sunday, 
of  course.  Quite  a  number  of  Bi-others  answered 
to  the  call,  among  whom  I  can  call  to  mind,  J.  S. 
Knapp,  John  Cook,  George  Cook,  W.  T.  Shepard, 
John  Nutter,  Leonhard  Pickl,  Jacob  Gauze,  Brother 
Stone,  Professor  Ramsey,  Judge  Robinson,  and  if 
my  memory  serves  me  right,  J.  Tyson — if  not  a 
member  of  our  association,  he  was  a  very  willing 


and  efficient  worker  in  our  cause.  At  that  first 
meeting  it  was  proposed  and  agreed  to  form  an 
Odd  Fellows  Association,  similar  to  a  Subordinate 
Lodge. 

It  would  be  impossible  for  me  at  this  time  to  give 
the  days,  dates,  names,  etc.,  of  the  officers,  number 
of  members,  etc.  But  I  do  remember  that  Brother 
P.  G.,  David  Morrison  was  elected  W.  G.,  or  Presi- 
dent of  the  Lodge;  and  that  all  the  offices  were 
filled,  and  that  we  had  a  relief  committee,  whose 
duty  it  was  to  afford  immediate  and  substantial  aid 
to  all  Odd  Fellows  who  might  be  in  distressed  cir- 
cumstances, whether  with  or  without  cards,  so  that 
they  could  prove  themselves  to  be  Odd  Fellows. 

It  was  virtually  and  truly  a  Lodge  of  "  Odd  Fel- 
lows" who  met  every  week  with  no  other  object  than 
to  carry  out  practically,  the  pure  and  holy  princi- 
ples of  Odd  Fellowship  as  taught  in  the  "  Ritual." 
Not  greed,  gain,  and  selfishness;  but  love,  friend- 
ship and  truth,  exemplified  in  every-day  life  by  dif- 
fusing the  principles  of  benevolence  and  charity; 
not  that  cold,  grudging,  exacting  charity,  that  insid- 
iously creeps  into  many  Lodges  and  leaves  its  slimy 
filth  on  all  it  touches;  but  that  other  charity  that 
has  a  heart  and  soul  in  it.  That  charity  that  will 
grasp  a  distressed  brother's  hand,  that  will  warm 
into  life  his  sinking  and  fainting  spirits,  that  will 
infuse  new  hopes,  fresh  courage,  and  inspire  him  to 
go  forth  and  renew  the  battle  of  life,  knowing  full 
well  that  he  is  a  member  of  a  warm  and  true-hearted 
brotherhood:  and  no  matter  what  misfortune  may 
overtake  him  in  life,  whether  in  the  prime  of  man- 
hood or  in  the  decline  of  age,  if  he  pursues  a  manly 
and  upright  course,  will  never  see  him  perish  in  the 
struggle. 

Such  were  the  aims,  and  ends  of  our  association ; 
which  was  the  nucleus  of  Odd  Fellowship  in  "Yreka," 
and  though  humble  and  unpretentious  in  its  mission 
of  love,  it  nevertheless  was  the  seed  sown,  that  has 
brought  forth  such  an  abundant  harvest. 

Our  organization  was  kept  up  during  the  winter, 
or  until  provisions  became  plenty,  and  the  mines 
could  be  worked,  then  the  members  scattered  in  all 
directions. 

Our  president,  David  Morrison,  left  for  San  Fran- 
cisco. I  had  charge  of  his  business,  and  in  my 
communications  with  him  I  urged  the  need  of  a 
Charter  or  Dispensation  for  a  Lodge.  I  received  a 
letter  from  him  dated  May  2,  1853,  informing  me 
that  he  had  called  on  G.  H.  Parker,  District  Deputy 
Grand  Sire  for  the  State  of  California.  This  you 
will  see  was  just  previous  to  the  organization  of  the 
Right  Worthy  Grand  Lodge. 

Immediately  on  the  receipt  of  that  letter  we  went 
to  work  on  a  petition  to  the  Right  Worthy  Grand 
Lodce  for  a  Charter,  which  petition  was  rather 
crudely  drawn  up,  none  of  us  ever  having  been 
petitioners  for  a  Charter,  and  being  wholly  without 
any  books  or  forms,  it  was  hardly  to  be  expected 
that  it  would  be  acceptable,  which  proved  to  be  the 
case,  as  the  Grand  Lodge  declared  it  to  be  informal. 

After  that  I  communicated  with  the  Right 
Worthy  Grand  Secretary,  T.  Rogers  Johnson,  on 
the  subject,  and  received  a  copy  of  the  Old  Fellows 
Digest,  sent  by  Grand  Master  S.  H.  Parker.  A 
second  petition  was  then  drawn  up  in  form,  signed 
by  a  number  of  Brothers,  and  accompanied  by  the 


174 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


three  following  withdrawal  cards :  George  Cook,  John 
Cook,  and  W.  Donnellan,  also  two  visiting  cards. 
This  petition  I  forwarded  to  my  friend.  David  M. 
Morrison,  to  present  to  the  Grand  Master,  which 
was  rejected  as  not  having  a  constitutional  number 
of  withdrawal  cards,  which  will  be  seen  in  the  fol- 
lowing portion  of  a  letter  which  bore  date  of  July 
17,  1853,  which  I  have  embodied  in  this  history  as 
a  legitimate  portion  thereof,  written  by  a  Brother 
who  was  an  untiring  co-worker  with  us,  who  knew 
full  well  what  kind  of  material  there  was  in  our 
midst  to  build  up  a  Lodge  out  of: — 

San  Francisco,  July  17,  1853. 
My  Dear  Friend  Don:  I  will  now  answer 
your  letter.  You  say  you  received  my  communica- 
tion and  Digest,  sent  you  by  the  R.  W.  Grand  Mas- 
ter Parker.  You  say  nothing  about  a  commun- 
ication I  sent  you  after  received  your  petition  for 
a  Charter.  I  suppose  you  have  not  received  it.  I 
am  very  sorry  you  no  doubt  think  I  have  neg- 
lected to  attend  to  it,  which  I  assure  you  is  not  the 
case.  I  immediately  presented  your  petition  to  the 
Grand  Master.  He  wont  with  me  to  the  Grand 
Secretary.  They  then  consulted  what  they  could 
do  for  you,  as  there  was  not  five  withdrawal  cards 
accompanying  the  petition.  They  concluded  if  you 
could  not  send  five  cards,  some  member  of  one  of 
the  Lodges  here  would  withdraw  and  sign  your  peti- 
tion, and  fill  the  law,  and  accommodate  you  in  obtain- 
ing a  Charter.  The  Grand  Secretary  wrote  you  a  com- 
munication. I  sent  you  a  copy  of  the  proceedings  of 
the  Grand  Lodge.  I  also  called  on  D.  Norcross,  a 
good  Odd  Fellow,  who  has  Regalia  of  all  kinds.  I 
got  a  bill  of  him  of  what  your  Regalia  would  cost. 
Regalia  can  be  had  at  almost  any  price.  He  showed 
me  a  set  he  had  got  up  for  a  Lodge  at  Stockton, which 
costs  three  hundred  dollars.  I  wrote  a  communi- 
cation, myself,  informing  you  that  if  it  was  possible 
for  me  to  leave  my  business,  nothing  would  afford 
me  more  pleasure  than  to  go  up  and  open  your 
Lodge  for  you.  I  enclosed  it  all  in  one  envelope, 
directed  to  you,  and  left  it  at  Adams  &  Co.'s  express 
office,  it  must  be  near  a  month  since.  I  will  here 
say  that  anything  you  may  want  attended  to,  in 
any  way  I  am  always  ready  to  do  the  best  I  can 
for  you.  This,  the  persons  I  have  referred  to  can 
assure  you  of.  Yours  in  F.,  L.  &  T. 

D.  M.  Morrison. 

You  will  see  by  this  letter  that  a  proposition  was 
made  to  have  two  Brothers  of  one  of  the  San  Fran- 
cisco Lodges,  take  cards  and  so  make  out  a  consti- 
tutional number.     But  that  was  hardly  practicable. 

Not  at  all  discouraged  in  our  unsuccessful  efforts 
thus  far  to  obtain  a  charter,  we  determined  to 
make  one  more  effort.  You  will  bear  in  mind  that 
the  Brothers,  one  and  all,  in  and  around  Yreka,  took 
a  very  active  part  in  the  matter,  and  nobly  sup- 
ported our  efforts  to  have  a  Lodge  started.  Also 
many  of  the  best  citizens  who  were  not  members  of 
the  "Order." 

After  many  consultations  and  informal  meetings, 
I  was  instructed  to  write  to  the  Grand  Secretary, 
T.  R.  Johnson,  that  if  an  installing  officer  or  Dep- 
uty Grand  Master  would  come  up  we  would  be  re- 
sponsible for  all  expense,  whether  a  Lodge  was  insti- 
tuted or  not. 


It  must  be  remembered  that  traveling  at  that  time 
was  very  difficult,  and  very  few  would  care  to  under- 
take a  mule  ride  across  the  mountains,  besides  a 
capable  man's  time  in  San  Francisco  was  of  much 
value;  all  of  which  was  considered,  and  a  subscrip- 
tion was  started,  to  raise  funds  to  meet  all  expenses 
that  might  accrue,  which  subscription  I  have  enclosed 
with  other  papers. 

In  answer  to  my  communication  to  the  Grand 
Secretary  offering  to  pay  all  expenses  of  a  Grand 
Officer,  I  received  from  him  the  enclosed  letter 
dated  San  Francisco,  October  24,  1853,  in  which  he 
informed  me  that  he  had  found  a  Brother  who  was 
willing  to  undertake  the  journey  and  institute  our 
Lodge  as  soon  as  I  should  notify  him  that  we  were 
ready,  which  I  did  by  return  Express.  On  Novem- 
ber 14th  a  gentleman  came  to  my  ranch  about  a  mile 
from  town  and  introduced  himself  as  P.  B.  Dexter, 
Deputy  Grand  Master,  and  stated  that  he  was  clothed 
with  all  the  powers  of  the  Right  Worthy  Grand 
Master  and  a  little  more. 

I  said  to  him  the  little  more  was  just  the  thing 
we  so  much  needed,  and  the  little  more,  after  con- 
sultation, amounted  to  the  accepting  of  "  J.  L. 
Knapp"  and  ':A.  G.  Annibal,"  two  Brothers  with 
visiting  cards,  as  Charter  members,  with  the  under- 
standing that  they  were  to  obtain  from  their  re- 
spective Lodges  withdrawal  cards,  and  forward  the 
same  to  the  Grand  Secretary,  to  be  filed  in  his  office 
with  other  papers  of  the  Lodge. 

After  a  suitable  hall  had  been  secured,  which  was 
the  upper  story  of  a  stone  building  with  a  brick 
floor,  on  or  near  the  corner  of  Main  and  Miner 
streets,  and  all  other  preliminaries  satisfactorily 
arranged,  on  the  night  of  November  15,  1853,  a 
little  band,  consisting  of  John  Cook,  George  Cook, 
J.  L.  Knapp,  A.  G.  Annibal,  and  W.  Donnellan, 
accompanied  by  our  brother,  P.  B.  Dexter,  Deputy 
Grand  Master,  met  together  in  our  hall,  and  there 
proceeded  to  organize  our  Lodge,  which  was  done  by 
the  election  of  your  humble  correspondent  as  N.  G.; 
John  Cook,  V.  G  ;  and  to  the  best  of  my  memory, 
J.  L.  Knapp, Recording  Secretary,  and  A.  G.  Annibal, 
Treasurer. 

After  the  installation  of  officers,  a  number  of 
pi'opositions  were  received,  and  under  a  Dispensa- 
tion, the  Lodge  proceeded  to  initiate  a  number  of 
applicants,  and  also  conferred  the  degrees  on  initiates, 
among  whom  was  Dr.  J.  G. Cummins,  who  afterwards 
was  elected  V.  G.,also  H.D.  Van Wyck,who  filled  the 
officeof  Recording  Secretary.  Thuson  thatmemorable 
night,  Yreka  Lodge,  No.  19,  sprang  into  existence, 
and  took  rank  among  the  best  Lodges  of  the  Juris- 
diction. Before  the  Lodge  closed,  an  order  was  drawn 
on  the  Treasury  sufficient  to  cover  all  expenses, 
including  Charter,  books,  Odes,  Regalia,  etc.,  also  the 
expenses  and  time  of  Deputy  Grand  Master,  P.  B. 
Dexter.  The  amount  I  cannot  remember,  but  there 
was  ample  funds  on  hand  to  meet  all  demands.  I 
should  have  stated  that  previous  to  this  many  of  the 
Brothers  had  taken  steps  to  obtain  withdrawal  cards 
from  their  respective  Lodges. 

You  may  judge  of  the  prospeilty  of  the  Lodge 
when  I  say  to  you  that  at  the  time  I  left  Yreka  to 
attend  the  Grand  Lodge  which  met  in  Sacramento, 
(having  been  elected  a  delegate  to  represent  Yreka 
Lodge,  No.  19)  the  membership  at  that  time,  April 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


175 


22,  1854,  amounted  to  fifty-nine  (59)  in  good  stand- 
ing; ninety-nine  (99)  degrees  had  been  conferred, 
and  the  receipts  amounted  to  $2, 393. 75. 

I  am  proud  to  state  that  at  the  session  of  the 
Right  Worthy  Grand  Lodge,  held  in  San  Francisco 
May,  1S59,  Grand  Master  Van  Bokkelen  in  his 
report  gave  to  Yreka  Lodge,  No.  19,  the  credit  of 
being  the  best  working  Lodge  in  the  j  urisdiction. 

In  conclusion,  I  will  state  that  many  of  my  let- 
ters and  papers  have  been  lost  or  destroyed  by  Hood, 
and  it  is  from  the  few  remaining  papers  and  my 
own  memory  alone  that  I  have  thus  far  been  enabled 
to  collect  together  and  put  in  shape,  the  simple  facts 
belonging  to  the  history  of  Odd  Fellowship  in 
Yreka. 

No  doubt  I  have  omitted  the  names  of  many 
worthy  and  efficient  Brothers,  also  much  that  would 
go  towards  making  the  history  far  more  interesting, 
yet  at  the  same  time  I  give  you  all  I  have;  in  doing 
so,  I  have  taxed  my  mental  powers  more  in  reality 
than  my  shattered  constitution  was  able  to  stand. 

The  many  fond  memories  that  cluster  around  that 
eventful  period  of  my  life's  history,  when  I  was 
brought  in  contact  with  those  noble,  manly  hearts, 
with  that  pure  refined  gold  of  brotherhood  mani- 
fested among  those  that  composed  that  little  band 
who  were  linked  together  as  one  man  in  the  bond  of 
fellowship,  has  ever  been  a  source  of  gratifying 
pleasure. 

How  often  in  after  life,  when  suffering  at  the 
hands  of  those  I  have  trusted,  and  wronged  by  those 
who  bore  the  magic  name,  I  say  how  often  in  after 
life,  when  ready  to  denounce  all  as  unworthy,  have 
I  looked  back  on  those  true  men  in  those  trying 
times,  and  thanked  the  Lord  that  it  ever  had  been 
my  fortune  to  be  blessed  with  such  companionship. 
Yours  fraternally,  W.  L.  Donnellan. 

The  lodge  is  still  in  a  most  nourishing  condition 
and  meets  every  Thursday  evening  at  Odd  Fellows' 
Hall.  The  present  officers:— John  M.  Walbridge,  N. 
G.;  Charles  Voss,  V.  G. ;  A.  E.  Paine,  S.;  Charles 
C.  Peters,  T.;  Samuel  Magoffey,  W.;  E.  H.  Schofield, 
C;  Samuel  Pellet,  R.  S.  N.  G. ;  Robert  Nixon,  L. 
S.  N.  G. ;  J.  E.  Day,  R.  S.  V.  G. ;  F.  G.  Hearn,  L.  S. 
V.  G.;  W.  A.  B.  Mills,  L.  S.  S.  ;  E.  Dudley,  I.  G.; 
John  Ueidings,  0.  G. 

MT.    SHASTA   LODGE,    NO.    70. 

The  order  having  become  strong  enough  in  Yreka 
to  support  another  lodge,  application  was  made  to 
the  Grand  Master,  in  1857,  for  a  dispensation,  which 
was  granted  to  the  folio  .ving  charter  members: — Eli 
H.  Stone,  A.  D.  Meacham,  George  H.  Coe,  James  D. 
Turner,  William  Grow,  E.  K.  Phipns,  and  Louis 
Weyteman.  At  this  session  of  the  Grand  Lodge  in 
1858,  upon  recommendation  of  the  Grand  Master,  a 
regular  charter  was  issued  to  Mt.  Shasta  Lodge, 
No.  70. 

The  lodge  was  instituted  August  20:  1857,  by  R. 
L.  Westbrook,  D.  D.  G.  M.  December  23,  1874,  the 
lodge  surrendered  its  charter  and  combined  with 
Yreka  Lodge,  No.  19. 

MARION  LODGE,  NO.  101. 

The  petition  for  the  establishment  of  this  lodge, 
at  Sawyer's  Bar,  then  in  Klamath  county,  went 
before  the  Grand  Lodge  in  May,  1861,  and  a  char- 
ter was  issued  to  Past  Grands  G.  W.  Sleeper  and  H. 


D.  Van  Wyck,  and  Brothers  H.  C.  Randall,  H. 
Behnke,  and  George  F.  Ferry.  The  lodge  was  insti- 
tuted May  28,  1861,  by  William  Morton,  I).  1).  G. 
M.,  assisted  by  a  number  of  brothers  from  the 
lodges  in  Yreka.  It  then  had  twenty-live  mem!.,  r  . 
The  officers  installed  were: — George  YY.  Sleeper,  N. 
G.;  H.  C.  Randall.  V.  G.;  J.  H.  Lucket,  S.;  J.  Sulli- 
van, T. 

In  1874  this  lodge  erected  a  new  hall,  which  was 
dedicated  on  the  sixth  of  November  of  that  year, 
with  appropriate  ceremonies  and  exercises.  The 
lodge  owns  quite  an  extensive  library,  which  it  has 
been  accumulating  for  some  time,  and  to  which  the 
public  has  access  by  the  payment  of  a  slight  monthly 
fee.  The  greatest  membership  was  thirty-seven, 
and  at  present  the  lodge  is  in  good  circumstances, 
with  twenty-seven  members,  and  owns  property  to 
the  value  of  $1,000.  In  charitable  objects  since  its 
organization  Marion  Lodge  has  expended  82,700. 
The  present  officers  are:— G.  A.  Mohr,  N.  G.;  G.  YY. 
Bigelow,  V.  G.;  S.  H.  Birdsall,  R.  S. ;  J.  Rainey,  T. 

FORT   JONES  LODGE,  NO.   115. 

In  1861  several  contributing  members  of  Yreka 
Lodge,  No.  19,  and  Mount  Shasta  Lodge,  No.  70,  liv- 
ing in  Scott  valley,  took  steps  to  have  a  Lodge 
established  in  Fort  Jones.  Application  was  made 
for  a  charter  and  work  commenced  on  a  hall,  but 
the  Salmon  river  excitement  called  away  so  many 
of  those  interested  that  the  matter  was  dropped. 
The  question  was  revived  in  1863,  and  on  the  first 
day  of  July,  Fort  Jones  Lodge  was  instituted  by 
George  W.  Chase,  D.  D.  G.  M. ;  with  the  following 
charter  members: — A.B.  Carlock,  R.  S.  Green,  D.  B. 
Kingery,  James  M.  Smith,  L.  H.  Varnuin,  John  P. 
Wilson,  and  L.  S.  Wilson,  of  whom  all  are  still  liv- 
ing save  John  P.  Wilson.  A.  B.  Carlock,  R.  S. 
Green,  D.  B.  Kingery  ami  L.  S.  Wilson  are  still 
active  members.  The  first  meeting  saw  the  lodge 
membership  increased  by  five  initiations  anil  two 
cards,  thus  starting  the  lodge  in  its  career  with  four- 
teen members.  The  first  officers  were: — R.  S.  Green, 
N.  G.;  A.  B  Carlock,  V.  G. ;  John  P.  Wilson,  R  S.; 
L.  S.  Wilson,  P.  S;  L.  H.  Varnum,  T. ;  D.  B.  King- 
erv,  War.;  J.  M.  Smith,  Con.  ;  A.  Dowd,  <>.  G. ;  F. 
Crooks,  I.  G.;  R.  D.  Stone,  R.  S.  N.  G.;  James  G. 
Winegar,  L.  S.  N.  G. ;  Samuel  Whitinore,  R.  S.  V. 
G. ;  W.  B.  Miller,  L.  S.  V.  G.  Notwithstanding  it 
was  reduced  in  membership  by  the  creation  of  Etna 
Lodo-e,  No.  184,  it  is  now  in  a  most  flourishing  con- 
dition, with  111  active  members.  The  majority  of 
these  are  young  men  recruited  fro  n  excellenl  social 
and  physical  classes,  and  zealous  in  Odd  Fellowship, 
fitting  themselves  to  carry  on  the  work,  when  those 
who  have  grown  gray  and  bent  with  years,  shall 
have  been  laid  away  to  re->t.  There  are  members  in 
the  lodge  who  have  been  active  Odd  Fellows  for 
more  than  twenty  years,  ami  a  few  date  back  to  the 
time  when  the  order  was  straggling  for  existence 
forty  or  fifty  years  ago.  With  the  wide  experience 
of  these  veterans,  and  the  enthusiasm  of  the  young 
ami  fresh  material,  the  future  prosperity  of  the  lodge 
is  assured.  The  hall  was  completed  in  L8G3,  and  was 
used  until  April  2H,  L876,when  thepre  enl  hall  was 
dedicated.  It  is  of  concrete,  two  stories  high,  the 
|ia]|  being  in  the  upper  story,  and  twenty  eighl  U 
sixty  feet  in  size.     The  library  mom   is   twrnty^ix 


176 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY  CALIFORNIA. 


by  twenty-eight  feet.  The  hall  was  built  by  the 
lodge,  and  is  handsomely  furnished.  The  old  hall  is 
used  now  for  a  school  house. 

The  lodge  has  a  sum  of  money  at  interest  and 
also  owns  a  cemetery  laid  out  in  fine  style  on  the 
old  government  reservation.  Trees,  shrubs,  and 
handsome  monuments  beautify  this  last  resting- 
place  of  the  members  of  this  order  of  brotherly  love. 
Since  its  organization  the  lodge  has  expended  for 
sick  benefits,  charity,  and  relief  the  sum  of  $7,500. 
The  dues  are  ten  dollars  per  annum  and  the  bene- 
fits allowed  are  four  dollars  per  week  to  an  initiate 
member,  five  to  first  degree,  six  to  second,  and  seven 
to  third,  fifty  dollars  for  a  funeral  of  a  brother  and 
thirty  dollars  for  funeral  of  the  wife  of  a  brother. 
There  have  been  thirty-one  Past  Grands  during  the 
existence  of  the  lodge,  and  of  these  the  following 
are  still  in  rctive  membership: — Aaron  Bar,  A.  JB. 
Carlock,  E.  J.  Cummings,  D.  Cameron,  H.  J.  Dig- 
gles,  J.  A.  Davidson,  R.  S.  Green,  C.  T.  Hall,  David 
Horn,  J.  M.  Hopper.  Thomas  Jones,  W.  A.  Jordan, 

D.  B.  Kingery,  J.  M.  Luttrell,  W.  B.  Miller,  Joel 
Newton,  C.  E.  Owen,  J.  J.  Pool,  I.  A.  Reynolds,  E. 
Reichman,  R.  D.  Stone,  W.  P.  Skelly,  and  Samuel 
Whitmore.  The  following  Past  Grands  have  died, 
John  Clark,  J.  Y.  Doll,  A.  J.  Goodnoe,  L.  B.  Gilkey, 
and  John  P.  Wilson.  In  other  membership  the 
lodge  has  lost  by  death,  Alexander  Walker,  William 
B.  Walker,  and  Constantine  Humphrey.  The  offi- 
cers  for  the  first  half  of    the  year  1881    were: — 

E.  C.  Owen,  N.  G. ;  John  E.  Dudley,  V.  G.;  R, 
S.  Green,  S.;  H.  J.  Diggles,  T.;  Alexander  Parker, 
Jr.,  War.;  A.  M.  Evans,  Con.;  William  Hickman, 
0.  G. ;  Josiah  McVay,  I.  G.;  James  A.  Davidson, 
R.  S.  N.  G.;  Jacob  Bills,  L.  S.  N.  G.;  John  C. 
Wood,  R.  S.  V.  G.;  Henry  Mack,  L.  S.  V.  G.;  P.  M. 
Shadduck,  R.  S.  S.;  E.' A.  Starr,  L.  S.  S.;  LA. 
Reynolds,  Chaplain. 

ETNA   LODGE,    NO.    184. 

Prior  to  the  establishment  of  this  lodge,  members 
of  the  order  in  Rough  and  Ready  (Etna)  were  con- 
nected with  lodges  remote  from  their  homes,  attend- 
ance upon  the  meetings  being  inconvenient  and 
expensive.  To  remedy  this  defect,  a  meeting  was 
called  at  Furber's  Hall,  May  30,  1870,  at  which 
Abisha  Swain,  Henry  Behnke,  Daniel  Davis,  R.  P. 
Taylor  and  J.  S.  Beard  were  present  and  expressed 
their  views.  It  was  decided  to  organize  a  lodge,  and 
to  unite  with  the  school  district  in  the  erection  of  a 
two-story  building,  the  upper  portion  of  which  should 
be  used  as  a  hall.  Abisha  Swain,  J.  A.  Diggles  and 
Josiah  Doll  were  selected  as  a  building  committee; 
W.  T.  Laird,  W.  K.  Doney  and  J.  A.  Diggles  being 
the  school  trustees.  The  lodge  was  formally  organ- 
ized January  18, 1871,  the  charter  members  being: — 
Robert  P.  Taylor,  James  A.  Diggles,  John  S.  Beard, 
Josiah  Doll,  Frank  M.  Blevins,  Daniel  Davis,  Henry 
Geney,  Henry  Behnke,  Charles  Koppler,  Abisha 
Swain,  Abraham  S.  Bush  and  Elisha  H.  Hall.  The  fol- 
lowing officers  were  installed  by  Joel  Newton,  D.D. : — 
R.  P.  Taylor,  N.  G.;  James  A.  Diggles,  V.  G.;  J.  S. 
Beard,  R.  S.;  Josiah  Doll,  T.;  Daniel  Davis,  C; 
Henry  Behnke,  W.;  Henry  Geney,  I.  G.;A.  S.  Bush, 
O.  G.;  E.  H.  Hall,  R.  S.  N.  G.;  Charles  Koppler,  R. 
S.  V.  G.;  F.  Blevins,  R.  S.  S.;  Abisha  Swain,  L.  S. 
S.  At  the  same  time  the  new  hall  was  dedicated 
with  appropriate  ceremonies  and   festivities.     The 


building  is  twenty-eight  by  fifty-two  feet  and  cost 
over  $3,000.  The  lodge,  at  present,  has  a  member- 
ship of  forty-three,  and  is  in  a  pi-osperous  condition. 
They  have  contracted  for  the  sale  of  their  interest 
in  the  building  to  the  school  district,  and  contem- 
plate the  erection  of  a  substantial  brick  building  on 
a  lot  on  School  street,  recently  purchased.  All  the 
charter  members  are  now  living,  save  Henry  Behnke, 
who  died  November  7,  1871.  The  present  officers 
are:— H.  W.  Sullivan,  N.  G. ;  C.  W.  Nutting,  V 
G.;  Martin  Marx,  S. ;  C  H.  French,  T.;  R.  H.  Stras- 
burg,  H.  W.  Sullivan  and  J.  B.  Parker,  Trustees; 
James  Amos,  P.  N.  G. 

The  lodge  meets  atits  hall  in  Etna,  every  Satur- 
day evening.  A  new  hall,  thirty-two  by  eighty  feet 
and  two  stories  high,  is  now  being  erected. 

SISKIYOU   ENCAMPMENT,    NO.    15. 

A  charter  for  this  encampment  was  granted  June 
13,  1858,  to  A.  D.  Meacham,  N.  C.  Mayhew,  S.  M. 
Veach,  J.  M.  Heath,  W.  Morton,  J.  W.  Thomas,  E. 
A.  Hazen,  C.  Abbott,  W.  S.  Moses,  and  G.  W. 
Sleeper.  It  was  instituted  June  30,  1858.  Since 
that  time  it  has  become  strong  and  still  nourishes 
with  a  large  membership. 

The  present  officers  are: — W.  J.  Wallis,  C.  P.  ■  E 
H.  Schofield,  H.  P.;  Charles  Voss,  S.  W.;  A.  E. 
Paine,  S.;  H.  Scheld,  T.;  Robert  Nixon,  J.  W.  It 
meets  at  Odd  Fellows  Hall,  Yreka,  the  second  and 
fourth  Wednesdays  of  each  month. 

SCOTT   VALLEY   ENCAMPMENT,    NO.    39. 

Seven  members  of  Siskiyou  Encampment,  No. 
15,  Joel  Newton,  Frederick  Holzhauser,  Robert  S. 
Green,  Wakeman  B.  Miller,  Adam  B  Carlock, 
Francis  M.  Carlock,  and  Henry  J.  Diggles,  with- 
drew, and  organized  Scott  Valley  Encampment,  No. 
39,  at  Fort  Jones.  It  was  instituted  February  7, 
1871,  by  F.  G.  Hearn,  D.  D.  G.  P.,  who  installed  the 
following  officers: — Joel  Newton,  C.  P.;  H.  J.  Dig- 
gles, H.  P.;  F.  M.  Carlock,  S.  W. ;  W.  B.  Miller,  J. 
W.;  R.  S.  Green,  S.;  F.  HJzhauser,  T.  The  mem- 
bership is  forty,  and  it  meets  in  the  new  Odd  Fel- 
lows Hall  at  Fort  Jones.  The  present  officers  are: — 
John  M.  Hopper,  C.  P. ;  Aaron  Bar,  H.  P. ;  Josiah 
McVay,  S.  W. ;  D.  B.  Kingery,  J.  W. ;  R.  S.  Green, 
S.;  R.  D.  Stone.  T. 

HOPE  REBEKAH  DEGREE  LODGE,  NO.  33. 

This  lodge  was  instituted  in  Yreka  with  twenty- 
two  members  and  the  following  officers: — E.  V. 
Brown,  N.  G.;  Mrs.  A.  P.  McCarton,  V.  G.;  Mrs. 
Robert  Nixon,  R.  S.;  Mrs.  G.  A.  Nordheim,  T; 
Jacob  Hansen,  F.  S.;  Robert  Nixon,  W.;  Mrs.  E. 
Dudley,  C;  Mrs.  Ad.  Winckler,  R.  S.  N.  G.;  Mrs. 
L.  Swan,  L.  S.  N.  G.;  A.  P.  McCarton,  R.  S.  V.  G.; 
Adolph  Winckler,  L.  S.  V.  G;  E.  Dudley,  I.  G.;  John 
Uerlings,  O.  G.  Regular  meetings  are  held  at  Odd 
Fellows  Hall.  The  officers  installed  in  January, 
1881,  were:— Mrs.  E.  H.  Schofield,  N.  G.;  Mrs.  James 
Vance,  V.  G.;  Miss  Belle  Hearn,  R.  S.;  Mrs.  J.  E. 
Day,  T. 

ORA  REBEKAH  DEGREE  LODGE,  NO.  40. 

This  lodge  was  granted  a  dispensation,  August 
22,  1877,  and  was  instituted  at  Fort  Jones,  October 
26, 1877,  by  Special  D.  D.  G.  M.,  H.  J.  Diggles.  The 
charter  members   were: — A.  B.   Carlock,  Lizzie  C 


1 

*tA 


I 


j 

-*/>• 


^ 


to 


*5 

^  6 

E8 

u.  y 

_i 

U.  5 

O  to 

Ui  5 
LxJ  -1 

o 

</> 

ui 


35 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


177 


Carlock,  H.  J.  Diggles,  Lottie  S.  Diggles,  R.  S. 
Green,  Julia  A.  Green,  Aaron  Bar,  Fanny  Bar, 
James  A.  Davidson,  Amanda  Davidson,  R.  D.  Stone, 
Lucetta  Stone,  Dav.id  Horn,  Clara  Horn,  E.  J.  Cum- 
mings, Mary  A.  Cummings,  William  A.  Jordan, 
Emeline  W.  Jordan,  S.  D.  Varnum,  Alvira  Varnum, 
Thomas  Patton,  Josephine  PattoD,  W.  K.  Doney, 
Anna  Doney,  Alexander  McKay,  Hattie  H.  McKay, 
L.  Fiebush,  Emily  Fiebush,  E.  Reichman,  Ida  Reich- 
man,  John  M..  Hopper,  Eliza  Newton.  The  mem- 
bership is  now  forty-two.  The  present  officers  are : — 
James  A.  Davidson,  N.  G.;  Mrs.  Clara  Horn,  V.  G.; 
Robert  S.  Green.  S.;  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Cummings,  T. 

ODD    FELLOWS   HALL. 

The  order  in  Yreka  completed  in  1860  a  fine 
hall  forty  by  sixty  feet  in  size,  on  the  corner  of 
Miner  and  Second  streets,  at  a  cost  of  $15,000, 
which  was  used  as  a  place  of  meeting  by  various 
societies  until  it  was  destroyed  in  the  great  confla- 
gration of  July  4,  1871.  They  at  once  rebuilt  at  a 
cost  of  §2,500,  using  the  same  walls  which  had  not 
been  destroyed.  The  lodge  room  is  forty-eight  b}'  thir- 
ty feet,  and  elegantly  furnished  and  ornamented  with 
fresco,  graining,  etc.,  so  that  it  has  scarcely  a  supe- 
rior in  the  State,  either  in  size  or  beauty  of  interior. 
It  is  used  by  the  lodge  and  encampment,  the  former 
owning  four-fifths  and  the  later  one-fifth.  The 
improvements  in  Evergreen  Cemetery  have  cost 
Yreka  Lodge  over  $2,000. 


THE   MASONIC   ORDER. 

The  Masonic  Order  is  the  most  ancient  and  hon- 
orable of  all  that  exist  in  the  world  at  the  present 
day.  It  is  claimed  by  enthusiastic  members  to  have 
had  its  origin  with  the  builders  of  Solomon's  Tern- 
pie,  and  that  it  has  spread  to  the  four  corners  of  the 
world,  so  that  scarcely  a  tribe  of  savages  can  be 
found  on  the  face  of  the  globe  that  has  not  some 
organization  in  which  the  symbols  and  signs  of 
Masonry  can  be  detected.  The  Chinese  certainly 
have,  and  frontiersmen  in  America,  belonging  to  the 
order,  have  detected  the  use  of  these  signs  among  the 
Indians,  while  renowned  travelers  have  observed 
them  everywhere.  However  well-founded  this  claim 
to  extreme  antiquity  may  be,  reliable  history  can 
trace  the  order  no  further  back  than  to  the  build- 
ing of  the  cathedral  at  Magdeburg,  A.  D.  876, 
when  there  existed  a  secret  society  among  the  arti- 
sans for  the  instruction  of  its  members  in  the  art  of 
building  and  for  mutual  benefit.  The  society 
spread  over  Europe  until  the  early  part  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century,  when  it  changed  its  character  and 
became  speculative.  The  first  lodge  of  the  reformed 
order  was  organized  in  London,  June  24, 1717.  The 
objects  of  Masonry  as  it  now  exists  is  the  cultivation 
of  the  moral  virtues.  The  order  has  3,000,000  mem- 
bers, of  whom  600,000  are  in  America. 

The  Grand  Lodge  of  California  was  organized  in 
Sacramento,  April  17,  1850,  and  now  embraces  more 
than  250  subordinate  lodges. 

st.  john's  lodge,  no.  37. 
This  was  the  first  lodge  of  Masons  in  Yreka,  but 
a   history    has   not    been    procured.       Cottonwood 
Lodge  was  combined  with  it  a  few  years  ago.     It 
meets  at  Masonic  Hall,  Yreka. 
23 


NORTH   STAR   LODGE,   NO.    91. 

On  the  fifth  of  November,  1855,  the  Masons  of 
Deadwood  and  Indian  creek  met  at  the  latter 
place,  and  drew  up  a  petition  to  the  Grand  Lodge, 
signed  by  H.  M.  Judah,  D.  B.  Kitts,  Levi  Ross,  John 
C.  Logan,  William  Shores,  D.  M.  Davidson,  C.  N. 
Thornbury,  David  Dowd,  William  Van  Horn,  S.  E. 
Stone,  D.  H.  Shaw,  and  others.  A  dispensation 
was  granted,  and  the  following  officers  were  chosen : — 
H.  M.  Judah,  W.  M.;  C.  N.  Thornbury,  T.;  Mat. 
Hackensmith,  S.  B.  S.  Mason  was  appointed  S. 
D.;  F.  E.  Ensign,  J.  D.;  and  John  C.  Logan,  Tyler, 
Meetings  were  held  in  an  old  log  building  on  Indian 
creek,  now  used  as  a  barn  by  Mrs.  Foultz.  A 
charter  was  granted  to  North  Star  Lodge,  No.  91, 
May  8,  1856,  and  on  the  second  of  June,  W.  S.  R. 
Taylor,  D.  G.  M.,  installed  the  following  officers 
under  the  charter: — A.  M.  C.  Smith,  W.  M.;  Mat. 
Hackensmith,  S.  W.;  B.  R.  Turnbon,  J.  W.;  B.  W. 
Keown,  T. ;  Amos  Cutler,  Jr.,  S.;  John  C.  Logan, 
S.  D.;  David  Dowd,  J.  D. ;  S.  E.  Stone,  Tyler. 
Among  those  who  have  represented  the  lodge  in 
the  Grand  Lodge  ai*e  Dr.  Daniel  Ream,  M.  Sleeper, 
J.  T.  Moxley,  H.  J.  Diggles,  I.  S.  Mathews,  and 
E.  T.  Bailey.  The  place  of  meeting  was  changed 
to  Fort  Jones,  in  a  few  }'ears,  and  there  a  wooden 
hall  was  built,  where  meetings  are  held  on  the 
second  Saturday  of  each  month.  It  is  in  good 
financial  condition,  has  about  forty  members,  and 
besides  the  hall,  owns  a  cemetery  in  connection 
with  the  Odd  Fellows.  The  following  gentlemen 
have  held  the  position  of  Master: — H.  M.  Judah, 
1855;  A.  M.  C.  Smith,  1856-57;  F.  E.  Ensign, 
1858;  Dr.  Daniel  Ream,  1859-60;  J.  K.  Holmes, 
1861;  Dr.  Daniel  Ream,  1862-63;  F.  E.  Ensign, 
1864;  D.H.Shaw,  1865;  A.  P.  McCarton.  1866; 
I.  S.  Mathews,  1867-68;  H.  M.  Morse,  1869;  E.  T. 
Bailey,  1870-71-72;  J.  H.  McCoy,  1873-74;  H. 
J.  Diggles,  1875-76-77 ;  M.  Slater,  1878:  John  T. 
Moxley,  1879-80;  William  J.  Root,  1881.  The 
present  officers  are: — William  J.  Root,  W.M.;  Charles 
Fletcher,  S.  W.;  Samuel  Davidson,  J.  W.;  I.  S. 
Mathews,  S.;  David  Horn,  T.;  John  Crawford,  S. 
D.;  John  Henderson,  J.  D.;  Hiram  Wilson,  Tyler; 
I.  Hamilton  and  John  Lincoln,  Stewards. 

HOWARD   LODGE,    NO.    96. 

The  order  having  become  very  strong  in  Yreka, 
several  members  of  St.  John's  Lodge,  No.  37,  peti- 
tioned for  a  dispensation  to  organize  a  new  lodge, 
which  was  granted  November  23,  1855.  A  charter 
was  granted  March  8,  1856,  to  William  S.  R.  Taylor, 
George  B.  Waterhouse,  William  D.  Slade,  Wiley  J. 
Fox,  James  N.  Brown,  Thomas  Hickman,  and  H.  H. 
Kicker.  The  lodge  has  had  the  following  masters: — 
David  Ream,  Franklin  A.  Rogers,  John  M.  Wal- 
bridge,  James  De  Witt,  James  Vance,  Francis  Riley, 
Hudson  B.  Gillis,  and  Henry  A.  Morse.  The  lodge 
has  forty-three  members,  and  meets  at  Masonic  Hall 
the  second  Monday  of  each  month.  The  present 
officersare:— Henry  A  Morse.W.  M.;  Peter  C.  Lange, 
S.  W.;  B.  F.  Smith,  J.  W.;  William  McConnell,  T.j 
John  E.  Harmon,  S.;  David  Ream,  S.  D. ;  Francis 
Riley,  J.  D.;  Hudson  B.  Gillis,  M;  Glaus  Schnack- 
enbiirg,  Tyler;  John  M.  Walbridge  and  Elijah  Car- 
rick,  Stewards. 


178 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


OWEN   LODGE,   NO.    108. 

In  May,  1856,  the  Masons  on  Scott  river  held  a 
meeting  to  discuss  the  question  of  organizing  a  lodge, 
and,  on  the  fourth  of  June,  assembled  at  the  Alta, 
on  Johnson's  Bar,  and  prepared  a  petition  to  the 
Grand  Lodge  for  a  dispensation  to  hold  a  lodge,  signed 
by  Gilbert  Lanphier,  M.  M.  Nichols,  E.  Durham,  O. 
D.  Freeman,  W.  H.  StJohn,  J.  W.  Sinclair,  Michael 
Sewards,  James  L.  Hughes,  Samuel  E.  Dubai,  John 
Reid,  John  T.  Howard,  J.  J.Walker,  W.  P.  Pool, 
and  James  Creegan.  The  dispensation  was  granted 
July  2,  1856,  the  officers  serving  under  it  being: — 
Gilbert  Lanphier,  W.  M;  M.  M.  Nichols,  S.  W.;  E. 
Durham,  J.  W.;  W.  H.  StJohn,  T.;  John  Reid,  S.;  John 
T.  Howard,  S.  D.;  0.  D.  Freeman,  J.  D.;  Michael 
Sewards,  Tyler;  On  the  fourteenth  of  May,  1857,  a 
charter  was  granted  to  Owen  lodge,  No.  108,  and  on 
the  third  of  June,  Joseph  Tyson,  D.  G.  M.,  instituted 
the  following  officers : — Gilbert  Lanphier,  W.  M. ;  0. 
D.  Freeman,  S.  W.;  Thomas  Soape,  J.  W. ;  W.  H. 
StJohn,  T. ;  J.  M.  Robinson,  S. ;  J.  W.  Sinclair,  S. 
D.;  William  Huff,  J.  D.;  E.  L.  Coklren,  Tyler.  A 
hall  that  had  been  fitted  up  over  a  store,  by  the 
Sons  of  Temperance,  was  rented,  and  afterwards 
bought.  Here  the  lodge  met  till  the  fall  of  1862, 
when  a  resolution  was  passed  to  remove  to  Scott 
Bar,  as  a  majority  of  the  members  lived  at  that 
place.  A  dispensation  for  removal  was  granted  on 
the  tenth  of  March,  1863,  and  the  dance  hall  over 
the  hotel  at  Scott  Bar  was  purchased  and  fitted  up 
for  a  lodge  room,  which  was  dedicated  on  the 
eleventh  of  April.  In  1857  the  lodge  had  sixty-two 
members,  but  owing  to  the  great  decrease  of  popu- 
lation on  the  river,  it  has  now  but  twenty-two,  but 
is  in  a  prosperous  condition.  The  masters  of  the 
lodge  have  been: — Gilbert  Lanphier,  1856-57-58; 
Joseph  Miller,  1859;  Gilbert  Lanphier,  1860;  Ben- 
jamin Jacobs,  1861-62;  John  Marfield,  1863;  Ben- 
jamin Jacobs,  1864-65-66;  John  Marfield,  1867; 
Benjamin  Jacobs,  1868;  John  Marfield,  1869;  Sig- 
mund  Simon,  1870;  Benjamin  Jacobs,  1871-72- 
73-74-75;  W.  G.  Holmes,  1876-77;  Elisha  Jacobs, 
1878-79-80-81.  The  present  officers  are:— Elisha 
Jacobs,  W.  M. ;  Benjamin  Jacobs,  S.  W.;  Daniel 
Caldwell,  J.  W. ;  Sigmund  Simon,  T.;  W.  T. 
Butcher,  S.;  John  Marfield,  S.  D. ;  H  Green,  J.  D.; 
J.  H.  Lindsay,  Tyler;  W.  G.  Holmes,  Marshal.  Reg- 
ular meetings  are  held  at  the  hail  in  Scott  Bar,  on 
the  Saturday  preceding  the  full  moon. 

EVENING   STAE   LODGE,  NO.  186. 

On  the  twenty-third  of  February,  1867,  Abisha 
Swain,  David  H.  Shaw,  George  Smith,  Solomon  E. 
Stone,  William  H.  Morgan,  Hans  Hansen,  William 
T.  Laird,  Louis  Fafa,  and  Lemuel  B.  Gilkey,  met  at 
the  house  of  Louis  Fafa,  in  Rough  and  Ready 
(Etna),  to  consider  the  question  of  organizing  a 
Masonic  Lodge,  and  erecting  a  suitable  building. 
They  were  all  members  of  North  Star  Lodge,  No. 
91,  save  Mr.  Gilkey,  who  belonged  to  Areata  Lodge, 
No.  106.  At  an  adjourned  meeting,  held  March  2, 
it  was  reported  that  $800  had  been  subscribed,  and 
it  was  decided  to  proceed  with  the  work,  Abisha 
Swain  being  appointed  to  superintend  the  work  of 
building.  The  hall,  30x45  feet,  and  two  stories 
high,  was  completed  July  13,  1867.  A  petition  for 
a  dispensation  to  hold  lodge  at  Rough   and  Ready 


was  presented  to  the  Grand  Master,  through  North 
Star  Lodge,  signed  by  Abisha  Swain,  David  H. 
Shaw,  George  Smith,  Solomon  E.  Stone  (deceased), 
William  H.  Morgan,  Louis  Fafa  (deceased),  William 
T.  Laird,  Hans  Hansen,  R.  P.  Hirst,  William  Rein- 
feldt  (deceased),  Joseph  Goeser,  George  Knight, 
John  Rhodes,  Elisha  H.  Hall,  Lemuel  B.  Gilkey 
(deceased),  and  Thomas  Jenkins.  The  first  three  were 
designated  as  W.  M.,  S.  W.,  and  J.  W.  The  dispen- 
sation was  granted,  and  the  first  meeting  held 
August  31,  at  which  the  Master  appointed  Solomon 
E.  Stone  T.;  William  H.  Morgan,  S.;  Louis  Fafa, 
S.  D.;  W.  T."  Laird,  J.  D;  Hans  Hansen,  and 
Joseph  Goeser,  Stewards,  and  George  Durand,  Tyler. 
The  charter  was  granted  October  10,  1867,  and  the 
first  meeting  under  it  held  November  22,  at  which 
time  the  hall  was  formally  dedicated.  The  Masters 
of  the  lodge  have  been: — Abisha  Swain,  1867-1871; 
Louis  Fafa,  1872-73;  David  H.  Sbaw,  1874; 
Abisha  Swain,  1875-76;  Martin  Marx,  1877; 
W.  K.  Doney,  1878:  J.  W.  McBride,  1879-80, 
Martin  Marx,  1881.  The  present  officers  are: — Mar- 
tin Marx,  W.  M.;  L.  H.  Johnston,  S.  W.;  Charles 
Baird,  J.  W.;  Abisha  Swain,  T.;  Albert  Wallis,  S.; 
Jacob  Messner,  Tyler.  In  Etna  there  is  no  organ- 
ized chapter,  but  A.  Swain,  George  Smith,  S.  E. 
Stone,  W.  H.  Morgan,  John  W.  McBride,  and 
H.  Hansen  are  Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  Mr. 
Swain  has  been  High  Priest  of  Cyrus  Chapter,  No. 
15,  at  Yreka.  Regular  meetings  on  the  last  Satur- 
day of  each  month,  at  the  hall  in  Etna.  The  lodge 
is  out  of  debt,  owns  a  well-furnished  hall,  26x60 
feet,  and  has  forty-five  members. 

CYRUS   CHAPTER,  NO.  15. 

Early  in  1856  a  number  of  Royal  Arch  Masons 
united  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  chapter  in 
Yreka,  and  as  the  result  of  their  labors,  Cyrus  Chap- 
ter, No.  15,  was  instituted  in  April,  1856,  with  the 
following  charter  members: — George  B.  Waterhouse, 
John  P.  Smith,  James  A.  Hill,  W.  S.  R.  Taylor,  E. 
W.  Potter,  G.  Cross,  W.  C.  Orr,  A.  Haserick',  Hack- 
ett  M.  Judah,  J.  Green,  G.  Lanphier,  J.  Hickman, 
J.  W.  Brown,  S.  S.  Brooks  and  D.  B.  Kitts.  The 
following  gentlemen  were  selected  officers  for  the 
first  term: — G.  B.  Waterhouse,  H.  P.;  J.  P.  Smith, 
K;  J.  A.  Hill,  S.;  A.  H.  Brown,  Treasurer;  W. 
Barry,  Secretary.  The  membership  of  a  chapter, 
on  account  of  the  high  degree  it  occupies  in  Masonry, 
is  never  very  large,  and  the  highest  number  ever 
belonging  to  Cyrus  Chapter  was  fifty-eight,  in  1870; 
now  its  members  number  thirty-four  active  Royal 
Arch  Masons,  and  the  chapter  is  in  a  thriving  con- 
dition. Regular  meetings  are  held  in  Masonic  Hall 
the  second  and  fourth  Tuesdays  of  each  month 
The  present  officers  are: — Louis  Huseman,  H.  P.;  S 
White,  K;  D.  Horn,  S.;  William  McConnell,  Treas- 
urer; Samuel  Pellet,  Secretary. 

YREKA   COUNCIL,  NO.   8. 

A  council  of  Royal  and  Select  Masters,  possessors 
of  the  Scotch  Rite,  was  instituted  in  Yreka,  Decem- 
ber 8,  1868,  by  Anton  Haserick,  P.  T.  I.  M.  The 
officers  were : — Albert  V.  Burns,  T.  I.  M.;  Gilbert 
Lanphier,  D.  I.  M.;  Edgar  W.  Potter,  P.  C.  W.; 
Daniel  Ream,  T.;  Abisha  Swain,  R. ;  Elijah  Carrick, 
C.  G.;  James  Vance,  C;  Elijah  H.  Heard,  M.;  Max 
Hamburger,  Steward;  Solomon  E.  Stone,  Sentinel. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


179 


On    account    of  the    scarcity  of    members    of    this 
degree,  the  council  was  not  maintained. 

ORDER   OF    THE   EASTERN   STAR. 

This  is  a  branch  of  Masonry  into  which  the  wives 

v  and    daughters    of     Masons    are    admitted.     It    is 

designed  chiefly  for  the  social  benefits  to  be  derived 

from  the  gathering  of  its  members,  the    beautiful 

principles  of  Masonry  not  being  forgotten. 

EVENING   STAR   CHAPTER,  NO.  10. 

The  charter  of  this  chapter  is  dated  January  29, 
1873,  the  first  preliminary  meeting  having  been 
held  the  fifth  of  the  same  month.  The  first  officers 
were: — Abisha  Swain,  W.  P.;  Emilie  C.  Swain,  W. 
M.;  Annie  M.  Diggles,  A.  M.;  S.  E.  Stone,  T.;  J.  H. 
Vogan,  S.;  Louis  Fafa,  C;  H.  J.  Diggles,  A.  C; 
Mary  E.  Hall,  Adah  ;  May  Shaw,  Ruth  ;  Mrs.  George 
Smith,  Esther.  The  chapter  has  now  forty-three 
members,  and  holds  its  regular  meetings  on  the 
first  and  third  Thursdays  of  each  month,  at  Masonic 
Hall,  Etna. 

STELLA   CHAPTER,  NO.  39. 

The  first  meeting  to  take  steps  for  the  organization 
of  this  chapter  was  held  December  18,  1879.  A 
dispensation  was  granted  and  the  chapter  instituted 
March  24,  1880.  The  original  members  and  first 
officers  were: — Lora  V.  Ream,  W.  M.;  Rolandus  P. 
Hirst,  W.  P.;  Alice  I.  Walbridge,  A.  M.;  John  W. 
Bird,  S.;  John  M.  Walbridge,  T.;  Sarah  I.  DeWitt, 
O;  James  Vance,  A.  O;  Clara  L.  Bird,  Adah  ;  Marie 
T.  Hirst,  Ruth;  Mary  E.  Truitt,  Martha;  Mary  L. 
Pashburg,  Esther  ;  Louisa  Vance,  Electra ;  Mary  E. 
Calhoun,  Robert  O.  DeWitt,  John  Pashburg,  and 
Henry  Truitt.  The  charter  was  granted  in  October, 
1880.  The  chapter  has  forty-five  members,  and 
meets  in  Masonic  Hall  the  first  and  third  Tuesdays 
of  each  month.  The  officers  for  the  current  term 
are: — Lora  V.  Ream,  W.  M.;  James  Vance,  W.  P.; 
Alice  I  Walbridge,  A.  M.;  John  M.  Walbridge,  T.; 
Mary  E.  Carrick,  S.;  Sarah  I.  DeWitt,  C. ;  Louisa 
Schwatka,  A.  O;  Annie  C.  Lange,  Adah;  Lucinda 
C.  Carrick,  Ruth;  Mary  L.  Pashburg,  Esther;  Mary 
E.  Truitt,  Martha;  Louisa  Vance,  Electra;  Frederika 
Huseman,  W. ;  B.  F.  Smith,  S.;  Lenora  C.  Huseman, 


Organist. 


MASONIC    HALL,    YREKA. 


In  the  great  fire  that  laid  waste  so  much  of  Yreka 
on  the  fourth  of  July,  1871,  the  Masons  suffered  the 
loss  of  their  lodge  room  and  many  valuable  records- 
In  1872  they  purchased  the  double  brick  building 
on  Miner  street,  adjoining  the  engine  house,  and 
partly  rebuilt  it,  making  in  the  second  story  a  fine 
hall  sixteen  feet  high  and  forty-four  by  thirty  feet 
in  size,  with  six  large  windows  opening  upon  Miner 
street.  There  are  two  large  ante-rooms  twelve  by 
seventeen  feet,  and  a  wardrobe  ten  by  seventeen  feet. 
The  hall  is  nicely  furnished,  and  is  used  by  the  four 
lodges  and  chapters.  „ 


IMPROVED  ORDER  RED  MEN. 

The  Red  Men  date  the  origin  of  their  order  back 
to  "  the  days  that  tried  men's  souls,"  to  the  cele- 
brated "  tea  party"  in  Boston  harbor.  It  flourished 
throughout  the  Revolutionary  war  and  the  war  of 
1812.     After  that  it  lapsed  into  decay,  but  it  was 


revived,  shorn  of  its  political  character,  and  is  now 
one  of  the  strongest  mutual  and  benevolent  orders 
in  existence.  All  that  is  beautiful  in  Masonry  and 
Odd  Fellowship  can  also  be  found  here. 

IEKA   TRIBE,    NO.    53. 

The  organization  of  this  tribe  is  due  to  the  efforts 
of  E.  H.  Autenrieth,  who  was  impressed  with  the 
beauties  of  the  order,  and  induced  the  following  gen- 
tlemen to  become  charter  members  of  a  lodge  to  be 
organized  in  Yreka: — E.  H.  Autenrieth,  A.  H.  Bur- 
rows, J.  W.  Bird,  H.  M.  Barnes,  E.  W.  Connor,  J. 
M.  Davidson,  R.  O.  DeWitt,  E.  DeWitt,  F.  G. 
Hearn,  T.  Jensen,  Charles  Lebeau,  P.  0.  Lemay,  A. 
P.  McCarton,  Hugo  Miller,  John  Pashburg,  A.  E. 
Paine,  J.  Quinne,  Daniel  Ream,  P.  G.  Strickland,  E. 
H.  Schofield,  A.  Tillinghast,  W.  Thompson,  James 
Vance,  J.  M.  Walbridge,  and  Theobald  Younsr.  A 
charter  was  procured,  and  on  the  thirtieth  of 
October,  1877,  John  Cimbrosky,  Past  Sachem  of 
Oregonian  Pocahontas  Tribe, of  Jacksonville,  Oregon, 
installed  the  following  officers: — A.  P.  McCarton, 
S.;  A.  H.  Burrows,  S.  S.;  J.  W.  Bird,  J.  S.;  F.  G. 
Hearn,  P.;  A.  E.  Paine,  C.  of  R.;  John  Pashburg,  K. 
of  W.  The  tribe  adopted  the  name  "  Ieka,"  the 
Indian  name  for  Mount  Shasta,  and  the  original  of 
"Yreka."  It  is  enjoying  great  prosperity,  and  now 
has  increased  its  membership  to  seventy-seven,  and 
owns  property  to  the  value  of  $2,000.  Since  its 
organization  $600  have  been  disbursed  in  the  bene- 
ficial and  charitable  objects  of  the  order.  The 
present  officers  are: — W.  A.  B,  Mills,  S.;  J.  M.  David- 
son, S.  S.;  Theobald  Young,  J.  S.;  Elihu  Ranous, 
P. ;  W.  J.  Wallis,  C.  of  R.;  John  Pashburg,  K.  of 
W.  Regular  meetings  are  held  every  Saturday 
nioht  in  the  new  Red  Men  Hall,  dedicated  on  the 
twenty-second  of  February,  1881.  The  hall  is  a 
handsomely  furnished  room,  and  occupies  the  second 
floor  of  a  fine  brick  building  on  Miner  street,  just 
completed  a  short  time  before  the  dedication.  The 
second  floor  was  built  by  the  Red  Men  Hall  Asso- 
ciation formed  for  that  purpose,  at  an  expense  of 
$3,700.  The  stock,  300  shai-es  at  ten  dollars  each, 
is  owned  by  members  of  the  order. 


ANCIENT  ORDER  OF   UNITED  WORKMEN. 

This  is  a  mutual  benevolent  and  insurance  order. 
Upon  the  death  of  a  member  in  good  standing  his 
heirs,  or  any  one  whom  he  may  have  designated, 
receive  $2,000.  The  fund  for  the  payment  of 
death  rates  is  raised  by  regular  assessment  upon 
the  occurrence  of  a  death.  The  order  was  founded 
some  twelve  years  ago  by  J.  J.  Upchurch,  at 
Meadville,  Pennsylvania.  The  first  lodge  in  Cali- 
fornia was  organized  at  West  Oakland,  August  21, 
1875,  by  H.  G.  Pratt.  The  Grand  Lodge  of  Cali- 
fornia was  organized  November  30,  1878. 

KLAMATH    LODGE,    NO.    170'. 

Early  in  1880,  Mr.  A.  H.  Burrows  interested  him- 
self in  the  formation  of  a  lodge  of  the  Workmen  in 
Yreka,  and  secured  applications  for  a  charter,  which 
were  forwarded  to  the  Grand  Secretary  of  <  'alifornia 
in  March,  but  owing  to  an  oversight  of  that  officer 
an  instituting  officer  was  not  sent  until  the  last  of 
June.     On  the  twenty-second  of  that  month  A.  H. 


ISO 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


Sprague,  S.  D.  M.  W.  of  Shasta,  instituted  Klamath 
Lodge,  No.  176,  with  twenty -one  charter  members: — 
A.  H  Burrows,  C  J.  Munro,  Maurice  Renner,  Theo- 
bald Young,  Louis  Huseman,  George  Jackson,  W. 
J  Wallis  Hugo  Miller,  Elisha  DeWitt,  J.  M.  Smith, 
A.  E.  Paine,  Elihu  Ranous,  W.  A.  B.  Mills,  A.  E. 
Raynes,  C.  H.  Pyle,  John  Lehners,  John  Harmon, 
John  E.  Day,  Thomas  Mairs,  S.  S.  Harwood,  Robert 
Nixon.  The  following  officers  were  installed : — C.  J. 
Munro,  P.  M.  W.;  W.  J.  Wallis,  M.  W.;  George 
Jackson,  F.;  Thomas  Mairs,  0.;  W.  A.  B.  Mills, 
Recorder;  Elisha  DeWitt,  F.;  Theobald  Young, 
Receiver;  Elihu  Ranous,  I.  W. ;  A.  E.  Paine,  0.  W.; 
Robert  Nixon,  Guide.  Meetings  are  held  in  Red 
Men  Hall  the  first  and  fourth  Fridays  of  each 
month.  The  lodge  has  received  two  members  since 
being  instituted,  W.  B.  Cantrell  and  W.  J.  Bray. 
The  present  officers  are: — George  S.  Jackson,  M. 
W. ;  A.  E  Paine,  F.;  J.  E.  Day,  0. ;  W.  A.  B.  Mills, 
Recorder  and  Financier ;  Theobald  Young,  Receiver; 
Robert  Nixon,  G. ;  J.  E.  Harmon,  J.  W.;  E.  Ranous, 

0.  W. ;  W.  J.  Wallis,  P.  M.  W. 

ETNA  LODGE,  NO.  177. 

This  lodge  was  instituted  at  Etna,  June  29, 1880. 
The  first  officers  were:— J.  S.  Beard,  P.  M.  W.  ;  H. 
W.  Sullivan,  M.  W.;  C.  W.  Nutting,  F. ;  Thomas 
Amos,  0. ;  Martin  Marx,  Recorder  ;  Charles  Jenner, 
Financier;  John  W.  McBride,  Receiver;  John  M. 
Single,  G.;  James  Abel,  I.  W. ;  J.  A.  Diggles,  0.  W. 

The  present  officers  are:— C.  W.  Nutting,  M.  W.. 
Martin  Marx,  F. ;  Charles  Jenner,  0. ;  Henry  Bud- 
elman,  Recorder ;  J.  A.  Diggles,  F. ;  Thomas  Amos, 
Receiver,  J.  S.  Beard,  G. ;  James  Abel,  I.  W  .;  J.  M. 
Single,  0.  W. ;  H.  W.  Sullivan,  P.  M.  W.  It  has  a 
membership  of  fifteen. 

FORT   JONES   LODGE,    NO.    178. 

This  lodge  was  instituted  at  Fort  Jones,  July  3, 
1880,  by  Arthur  H.  Sprague,  D.  G.  M.,  with  ten  char- 
ter members.  The  first  officers  were: — H.  J .  Diggles, 
M.  W.;  E.  Reichman,  F.;  H.  F.  Stackpole,  O.; 
E.  S.  Culver,  Recorder;  H.  M.  Carlock,  Fin;  A.  B. 
Carlock,  Receiver;  J.  B.  Mack,  G.;  Christian  Ehret, 

1.  W.;  John  E.  Dudley,  0.  W.;  M.  Slater,  P.  M.  W. 
The  above  embraces  all  the  charter  members.  The 
present  officers  are: — John  E.  Dudley,  M.  W.;  H.  M. 
Carlock,  F.;  John  B.  Mack,  0.;  E.  S.  Culver, 
Recorder  and  Financier;  L.  Fiebush,  Receiver; 
Christian  Ehret,  G.;  S.  P.  Curtis,  I.  W. :  George 
Henry,  0.  W.;  J.  A.  Diggles,  P.  M.  W. 


SONS  OF  TEMPERANCE. 

This  is  the  most  ancient,  and  in  past  years  was 
the  most  powerful  temperance  organization  that  now 
exists.  Lectures  on  the  subject  of  temperance  were 
delivered  in  California  as  early  as  1849,  and  in  no 
country  on  the  globe  were  they  more  needed  than 
here,  where  rum  claimed  its  victims  by  thousands, 
and  its  votaries  by  tens  of  thousands.  The  first  reg- 
ular society  formed  on  the  coast  was  Pacific  Star 
Division,  No.  1,  organized  in  Sacramento,  with 
twelve  members,  by  Edward  J.  Willis,  D.  M.  W.  P., 
in  the  month  of  May,  1850.  For  a  few  years  the 
cause  made  slow  progress,  but  in  1854-55-56,  tre- 
mendous strides  were  made  in  the  temperance  cause, 


aud  nearly  three  hundred  divisions  were  organized. 
The  first  appearance  of  the  order  in  Siskiyou  county 
was  in  1854,  when  Yieka  Division,  No.  21,  was 
instituted  through  the  efforts  of  a  well-known  citi- 
zen, J.  Lytle  Cummins.  Early  in  the  summer  of 
1855,  I.  S.  Diehl,  G.  W.  P.  of  California,  made  a  tour 
through  the  northern  portion  of  the  State  and  organ- 
ized eleven  new  divisions  in  this  county,  one  of 
which,  Scott  Bar  Division,  No.  198,  remained  in 
active  existence  twenty-five  years.  With  the 
exception  of  this  one,  all  the  divisions  had  ceased  to 
meet  by  1861,  and  the  following  year,  J.  A.  David- 
son, G.  L.  of  the  State,  made  a  crusade  against 
whisky,  and  revived  the  temperance  cause,  organiz- 
ing divisions  in  Siskiyou  county.  There  was  one 
fatal  defect  in  this  order.  They  did  not  recognize 
the  power  and  influence  for  good  possessed  by 
woman,  and  in  1865-66  the  order  had  to  give  way 
here  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Good  Templars, 
one  that  welcomed  women  and  children  to  its  ranks. 
Having  been  reformed  in  this  regard,  the  order 
again  asserted  itself  here  in  1S70,  taking  the  place 
of  the  other  that  had  died  out.  A  revival  again 
occurred  in  1876,  when  several  divisions  were  organ- 
ized that  still  maintain  an  active  existence.  The 
history  of  nearly  all  temperance  organizations  is  one 
of  fervor,  lukewarnmess,  and  then  decay,  few  of 
them  lasting  longer  than  five  years.  There  seems 
to  be  lacking  that  fraternal  bond  that  holds  the  many 
secret  orders  together.  To  give  a  complete  history 
of  each,  or  any,  of  the  old  divisions  so  long  extinct, 
is  impossible,  but  so  many  of  the  scattered  threads 
as  possible  have  been  drawn  together,  and  are  given 
below.  We  think  that  the  list  contains  at  least  the 
name  of  nearly  every  division  that  ever  had  an 
existence  in  the  county: — 

YREKA   DIVISION,    NO.    21. 

This  was  the  pioneer  temperance  society  in  Siski- 
you county,  and  was  organized  in  Yreka  sometime 
in  1854,  by  J.  Lytle  Cummins.  It  flourished  a  few 
years  and  then  went  to  decay  with  many  others 
established  in  the  county  the  following  summer.  In 
the  summer  of  1855  a  grand  celebration  of  the 
lodges  of  Sons  of  Temperance  in  the  county  was 
held  in  Yreka  under  the  auspices  of  this  lodge. 

Hawkinsville  Division,  No.  190,  Scott  Valley 
Division,  No.  191,  Siwash  Division,  No.  193,  Cotton- 
wood Division,  No.  194,  French  Bar  Division,  No. 
195,  Humbug  City  Division,  No.  196,  Johnson's 
Bar  Division,  No.  197,  Greenhorn  Division,  No.  199, 
Mt.  Shasta  Division,  No.  200,  were  all  organized  by 
G.  W.  P,  I.  S.  Diehl,  in  the  summer  of  1855.  They 
all  disbanded  within  five  years. 

miners'  division,  no.  192. 
On  the  fourth  of  June,  1855,1.  S.  Diehl,  G.  W.  P., 
organized  this  division  at  Deadwood,  with  the  fol- 
lowing officers: — Jonas  W.  Brown,  W.  P.;  Thomas  H. 
Steele,  W.  A. ;  Albert  Dowd,  R.  S.;  Joseph  Ingram, 
A.  R.  S.;  B.  F.  Harper,  F.  S.;  J.  M.  Bassett,  T.; 
Marion  McCloskey,  C. ;  Brice  C.  Pennington,  I.  S.; 
A.  Bolt,  0.  S.;  James  Lynam,  Chaplain.  This  was 
for  several  year's  the  banner  division  in  the  State, 
and  nuirbered  at  one  time  as  high  as  two  hundred 
members,  among  whom  were  Christ  Lark,  Leander 
Quivey,  D.  Fellows,  C.  H.  Pyle,  Thomas  Sawyer,  W. 
H.  Hendricks,  J.    Armstrong,  J.   H.  Harper,  F.  M. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


181 


Berry,  M.  F.  Sharp,  E.  S.  Merrill,  Jacob  Egbert, 
John  Niel,  David  Dowd,  W.  E.  Sanders,  W.  B.  Cald- 
well, James  F.  Cleaver,  C.  C.  Huntington,  J.  V. 
Mead,  H.  C.  Pierce,  E.  T.  Bailey,  A.  Lape,  Alexander 
Owens,  George  Ripperts,  and  James  Hamill.  The 
division  died  out  about  the  year  1861. 

SCOTT   BAR   DIVISION,   NO.     19S. 

This  division  was  organized  by  I.  S.  Diehl,  G.  W. 
P.,  and  given  a  charter  on  the  second  of  October, 
1855.  The  charter  members  were: — A.  F.  Farnham, 
H.  Robinson,  Thomas  Ryan,  William  Dausky.  F. 
Swanson,  M.  H.  Fields,  S.  W.  Childs,  William 
George,  M.  Dixon,  A.  W.  Randall,  Robert  LeCraig, 
W.  Welch,  Ichabod  Newcomb,  Stanford  Capps,  and 
S.  R.  Lewis.  The  members  at  once  built  a  log- 
cabin  at  the  lower  end  of  the  bar,  which  has  been 
used  as  a  temperance  hall  for  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
and  is  now  the  meeting  place  for  the  Champions  of 
Honor.  At  the  time  this  division  was  formed, 
others  were  organized  at  French  Bar  and  Johnson's 
Bar,  but  existed  a  few  years  only.  The  moving  and 
sustaining  spirit  in  the  society  was  Robert  LeCraig, 
who  supported  and  fostered  the  division  till  his  death 
a  year  ago.  To  his  efforts  is  due  the  fact  that  it 
had  an  active  and  beneficial  existence  of  twenty-five 
years,  while  of  the  ten  others  organized  in  the 
county  at  the  same  time  not  one  lived  ten  years. 
In  the  spiing  of  1880  it  gave  place  to  the  new  order 
of  the  Champions  of  Honor. 

m'adams  creek  division,  no.  213. 

Organized  by  Grand  Lecturer,  J.  A.  Davidson,  on 
McAdams  Creek,  August  12,  1862.  Lived  but  a 
few  years. 

ORO  FINO  DIVISION,  NO.   214. 

Organized  at  Oro  Fino,  August  16,  1862,  by  J.  A. 
Davidson.     Existed  but  a  few  years. 

FORT  JONES  DIVISION,  NO.  215. 

Organized  at  Fort  Jones,  August  16,  1862,  by  J. 
A.  Davidson.     Lived  but  a  short  time. 

TREKA  DIVISION,  NO.  216. 

Organized  in  Yreka,  August  20,  1862,  by  J.  A. 
Davidson.     Lived  three  years. 

COTTONWOOD  DIVISION,    NO.   217. 

Organized  at  Cottonwood  (Henly),  August  22, 
1862,  by  J.  A.  Davidson.     Lived  three  years. 

HAWK1NSVILLE  DIVISION,  NO  218. 

Organized  at  Hawkinsville,  August  25,  1S62,  by 
J.  A.  Davidson.     Existed  but  a  few  years. 

MT.  ETNA  DIVISION,  NO.   32. 

Organized  at  Crystal  Creek,  May  11,  181)4,  by 
Grand  Lecturer,  George  Bramall.  Lived  but  a  few 
years. 

ORO  FINO  DIVISION,  NO.  — . 

Organized  at  Oro  Fino,  May  22,  1870.     Was  in 

active  existence  several  years. 

FORT  JONES   DIVISION,  NO.  — . 

Organized  at  Fort  Jones  in  September,  1870,  and 
lived  but  a  few  years. 

MARBLE   MOUNTAIN  DIVISION,  NO.  238. 

Organized  in  Fort  Jones,  in  June,  1875,  and 
existed  a  short  time  only. 


MOUNT    ETNA    DIVISION,    NO.    38. 

Pursuant  to  a  call  by  a  number  of  ladies,  a  public 
meeting  was  held  in  Etna  (then  Rough  and  Ready), 
early  in  1870,  by  those  interested  in  the  cause  of 
temperance,  to  see  what  could  be  done  to  stem  the 
current  of  vice  and  intemperance  that  was  sweep- 
ing so  many  before  it.  It  was  decided  to  organize 
a  division  of  Sons  of  Temperance,  and  a  charter 
was  applied  for,  and  was  issued  January  27,  1870, 
to  Sarah  H.  Furber,  Sarah  Laird,  Mary  J.  Vogan, 
Anna  Doney,  Geschna  Behnke,  Louis  Fafa,  J  S. 
Beard,  Henry  Bridger,  David  Bush,  Sayres  Canfield, 
Charles  A.  Furber,  Harry  Reid,  and  George  C. 
Furber.  The  division  was  organized  and  officers 
installed  bv  R.  P.  Taylor,  D.  D.  G.  W.  P.,  as  fol- 
lows:—Daniel  Davis,  P.  W.  P.;  Louis  Fafa,  W.  P.; 
Mrs.  Behnke,  W.  A.;  J.  S.  Beard,  R.  S.;  Mrs. 
Doney,  A.  R.  S.;  Thomas  Ottey,  O;  Mrs.  Vogan, 
A.  C;  Sayres  Canfield,  Chap.;  Mrs.  Laird,  F.  S.: 
Mrs.  Furber,  T. ;  Daniel  Bush,  I.  S.;  Henry  Bridger, 
O.S. 

The  order  became  at  once  popular  in  Etna,  and 
grew  rapidly  in  numbers,  and  still  does  good  work 
in  the  temperance  cause,  for  which  it  has  labored 
eleven  years.  It  at  first  met  in  the  old  school  house, 
but  the  next  summer  Dr.  Furber  fitted  up  a  hall  for 
its  use,  over  his  druo-  store.  In  1870  a  laro-e  Band 
of  Hope  was  organized  among  the  children,  under 
the  protection  of  the  division.  It  ceased  to  exist 
after  a  life  of  one  year,  owing  to  the  lukewarmness 
on  the  part  of  the  older  ones.  The  present  officers 
are:— R.  P.  Taylor,  W.  P.;  Ida  Morgan,  W.  A.; 
J.  M.  Single,  R.  S.;  S.  T.  West/F.  S.;  A.  Evans,  T.; 
Daniel  Davis,  C;  Mary  Eller,  A.  C;  Mrs.  Ficken, 
Chaplain;  A.  A.  Lanphier,  I.  S.;  Joseph  Young, 
O.  S.;  L.  A.  Moxley,  P.  W.  P.  A  regular  meeting 
is  held  every  Sunday  evening  at  the  hall  in  Etna. 

TREKA   DIVISION,    NO.    250. 

The  temperance  cause  was  again  revived  in  Yreka 
in  1873  and  a  new  division  of  the  Sons  of  Temper- 
ance organized,  which  is  still  in  existence.  It  was 
instituted  June  3,  1873,  with  the  following  officers 
and  charter  members: — E.  Wadsworth,  W.  P.;  T.  A 
Bantz,  W.  A.;  S.  B.  Buckmaster,  R  S.;  Miss  Rosa 
Barnum,  A.  R.  S. ;  H.  Wadsworth,  F.  S.;  Mrs. 
Jerome  Churchill,  T.;  Mrs.  H.  Wadsworth,  A.  C.  ; 
Rev.  J.  T.  Baldwin,  C. ;  E.  H.  Autenrieth,  Con. ;  Mrs. 
F.  J.  Kins?,  I.  S. ;  W.  R  Oberlin,  O.  S. ;  E.  H.  Scho- 
field,  Mrs"  E.  H.  Schofield,  Mrs.  M.  S.  Buckmaster, 
Mrs.  E.  Wadsworth,  Miss  Nellie  Heard,  Miss  Ida 
Oberlin,  Miss  Ella  Chase,  Miss  Mary  Hammond, 
Miss  Jennie  Schwatka,  Miss  Ella  Cleland,  Rev. 
Joseph  Hammond,  H.  B.  Green,  W.  T.  Huston, 
George  H.  Peck,  Gustave  A.  Winckler,  Miss  Lottie 
Hanford,  Mrs.  R.  O.  DeWitt,  Miss  Hellen  Stimmel, 
J.  S.  Paxton.  The  division  is  in  a  flourishing  con- 
dition with  thirty-three  active  members,  and  has 
about  $200  in  the  treasury.  A  regular  meeting  is 
held  every  Wednesday  night  at  Red  Mm  Hall. 
The  membership  at  one  time  was  seventy  three. 
Present  officers  are:— C.  E.  Burrows,  W.  P- ;  .Mrs. 
A.  H.  Burrows,  W.  A.;  Mrs.  E.  Ii.  Schofield,  R.  S. 
W.  H.  King,  A.  R.  S.;  E.  H.  Schofield,  F  S.; 
C  H.  Pyle,  T. ;  Miss  Nettie  King,  C;  John 
Magoffev,  Con.;  Miss  Julia  Sleeper,  A.  Con.; 
Miss  Lena  Brown,  I.  S.;  John  Hendricks,  O.  S. ; 
E.  H.  Schofield,  District  Deputy. 


182 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


EDGEWOOD  DIVISION,  NO.   281. 

This  lodge  was  organized  by  W.  O.  Clark,  June 
9,  1875,  in  Butteville  (Edgewood),  with  fifteen  char- 
ter members: — H.  A.  Morse,  G.  W.  Bowen,  Miss  Lucy 
A.  Stone,  C.  H.  Stone,  Miss  Lucy  Edson  (Mrs. 
Jerome  Fay),  George  Miers,  C.  J.  Eddy,  Miss  Lizzie 
Eddy,  Daniel  Sullivan,  Frank  Bigelow,  William 
Chamberlain,  Eddie  Cavanaugh,  Miss  Mary  Cava- 
naugh,  Thomas  E.  Sullivan,  Allen  D.  White.  The 
lodge  has  never  been  a  very  strong  one,  and  although 
it  still  continues  to  exist,  meetings  are  held  only  as  • 
often  as  required  to  hold  the  charter. 

CBYSTAL   CREEK   DIVISION,  NO.  285. 

This  division  was  organized  December  11,  1876, 
by  George  Bramall,  G.  W.  P.  of  California,  who,  as 
grand  lecturer,  had  instituted  one  here  in  1864. 
The  charter  members  and  first  officers  were: — E.  Lee, 
W.  P. ;  Emma  E.  Cummins,  W.  A. ;  M.  J.  McGuire, 
R.  S. ;  Amanda  J.  White,  A.  R.  S. ;  George  A. 
Davidson,  F.  S. ;  Nora  P.  Davidson,  T. ;  J.  M.  Cum- 
mins, C;  Mrs.  S.  A.  Redding,  A.  C;  Mrs.  J.  C. 
Coalman,  Chap. ;  H.  S.  Jones,  I.  S.;  J.  P.  White,  O. 
S.;  L.  S.  Wilson,  P.  W.  P.;  D.  L.  Davidson,  C. 
P.  White.  The  division  is  still  in  active  existence, 
with  a  membership  of  forty,  and  meets  every  Satur- 
day evening  at  Grange  Hall,  Crystal  creek.  The 
present  officers  are: — H.  S.  Jones,  W.  P.;  Lottie  Wil- 
son, W.  A.;  Lida  A.  Cory,  R.  S.;  William  Egli,  A. 
R.  S. ;  S.  R.  Gardner,  F.  S. ;  Ida  B.  Sherly.  T. ; 
Susie  L.  Cory,  Chap. ;  J.  A.  Walker,  C. ;  Elda  E. 
Cory,  A.  C. ;  W.  H.  Sargent,  I.  S.;  Charles  Mote,  0. 
S.;  H.  A.  Fynn,  P.  W.  P. 

INDEPENDENT  ORDER  OF  GOOD  TEM- 
PLARS. 

Woman's  influence  in  the  temperance  cause  is  pow- 
erful. She  it  is  who  suffers  from  the  effects  of  rum 
more  keenly  than  does  the  besotted  victim ;  her  mar- 
tyrdom, for  such  it  is,  results  not  from  any  act  of 
her  own,  but  is  thrust  upon  her  unsought  and 
unjustly.  How  many  happy  wives  have  had  their 
loving  hearts  laid  bleeding  upon  the  altar  of  rum, 
and  out  of  how  many  lives  the  light  of  joy  and  love 
has  gone,  never  to  return,  the  world  will  never 
know.  To  woman,  then,  is  temperance  a  cause  of 
vital  interest,  and  she  is  always  a  moving  and  sus- 
taining spirit  in  its  ranks.  Recognizing  this  prin- 
ciple the  noble  order  of  Good  Templars  was  formed 
in  the  State  of  New  York  in  1851.  The  first  lodge 
on  the  coast  was  instituted  at  Santa  Cruz,  February 
22,  1855,  a  propitious  clay  to  inaugurate  so  grand  a 
movement,  and  in  May,  1856,  another  was  formed  in 
Sacramento.  At  this  time  the  Sons  of  Temperance 
had  a  strong  hold  upon  the  people,  and  the  new 
order  made  but  feeble  progress,  having  no  desire  to 
conflict  with  the  other.  The  other  order  having 
fallen  into  a  decline,  a  grand  lodge  was  organized 
May  29,  1860,  and  the  work  of  organizing  lodges 
progressed  with  great  rapidity.  The  wave  did  not 
reach  Siskiyou  county  till  1865,  when  some  half- 
dozen  lodges  were  formed,  entirely  supplanting  the 
former  organizations.  These  were  active  but  a  few 
years,  and  in  1870  gave  way  to  the  Sons  of  Temper- 
ance, which  had  remodeled  its  organization  so  as  to 
admit  the  gentler  sex  within  its  doors.  Although 
there  is  now  one  lodge  in  this  county,  the  order  in 


the  State  is  strong,  and  in  1879  numbered  230 
lodges,  with  a  membership  of  11,189,  and  property 
valued  at  $55,640.44. 

There  is  in  existence  at  the  present  time  but  one 
lodge  of  this  order  in  the  county — the  one  at  Calla- 
han's. 

MT.  SHASTA  LODGE,  NO.  172, 

Organized  in  Yreka  early  in  1865,  and  existed  some 
five  years. 

CRYSTAL   CREEK   LODGE,  NO.  173, 

Organized  in  Scott  valley  early  in  1865,  and  existed 
several  years. 

PILOT   ROCK    LODGE,  NO.  176, 

Organized  in  Cottonwood  (Henly)  May  12,  1865. 
Lived  only  a  few  years. 

MCDOUGALL   LODGE  NO  — . 

Organized  on  McAdams  creek  by  Rev.  A.  C.  Mc- 
Dougall,  September  9,  1865.  Existed  but  a  short 
time. 

TREKA   LODGE,  NO.  — . 

Organized  by  Miss  Emery,  July  18,  1870.  Lived 
but  a  few  years. 

HENLY  LODGE,  NO.  118, 

Organized  at  Cottonwood  April  13,  1876.  Surren- 
dered its  charter  February  27,  1881. 

MT.  SHASTA  LODGE,  NO.  142, 

Organized  at  Little  Shasta  May  8,  1876,  by  Levi 
Leland.     Existed  till  recently. 

LELAND  LODGE.  NO.  143, 

Organized  at  Etna  in  May,  1876,  by  Levi  Leland. 
Lived  a  short  time. 

DELAVAN  LODGE,  NO.   179, 

Organized  at  Fort  Jones  May  2,  1877.  Is  now 
extinct. 

MT.  BOLIVAR    LODGE,    NO.   273. 

A  charter  was  granted  to  this  lodge  of  Good  Tem- 
plars at  Callahan's,  August  3,     1879.     The  charter 
members    and     first    officers    were: — W.     S.    Con- 
way,  W.  C  T. ;    Miss  Mary  G.   Eddy,   W.  V.  T. 
Fred  H.  Loring,  W.  S.;  James  T.  Blevins,  W.  A.  S. 
Charles  D.  Sweet,  W.  F.  S.;  George  A.  Eddy,  W.  T. 
Chester   B.  Sweet,    W.  C. ;  E.  W.  Doney,    W.  M. 
Miss  Matilda  E.  Facey,  W.  D.  M. ;  Miss  Susie  Facey 
W.   I.   G.;  Valentine   Sweet,   W.  O.  G.;  James  W 
Facey,  W.  R.  H.  S.;  Miss  Carrie  E.  Eddy,  P.  W.  C.  T 
The  lodge  meets  every  Saturday  night  at  the  school 
house,  but  owns  a  lot  on  which  a  frame  hall  is  being 
erected.     The  membership  is  fifty -four.     The  officers 
for  the  cui'rent  term  are: — George  H.  Mitchell,  W. 
C.T.;  Mrs.  L.  Coggins,  W.V.T.;  Charles  F.  Loring, 
W.  S.;  Miss  Hattie  Chapman,  W.  A.  S.;  John  F. 
Hayden,   W.  F.  S.;  John  S  wanton,  W.  T. ;  Rev.  L: 
N.   Barber,    W.  C;  Joseph  Carter,    W.  M.;    Victor 
Fader,  W.  D.  M.;  James  Blevins,  W.  I.  G.;  Michael 
Sammon,  W.  O.  G.:  Miss  Emma  Murray,   W.  R.  H. 
S. ;  Mrs.  Caroline  Hayden,  W.  L.  H.  S. 


CHAMPIONS  OF  HONOR. 

This  is  a  new  temperance  order  that  has  been 
making  great  progress  during  the  past  three  years, 
and  seems  to  be  rapidly  pushing  the  other  two  from 
their  places  in  the  estimation  of  workers  in  the  tern- 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


183 


perance  cause.     The  order  embraces  all  classes,  old 
and  young. 

VESPER    COUNCIL,    NO.    15. 

This  was  the  first  of  the  order  organized  in  this 
county,  about  the  last  of  January,  1880.  It  is  at 
Etna,  and  meets  regularly. 

MOUNT   SHASTA   COUNCIL,   NO.    17. 

Mr.  John  Gray  organized  this  lodge  February  5, 
1880,  at  Butteville,  with  the  following  charter  mem- 
bers :' — Frank  Griffin,  Ecldie  Cavanaugh,  J.  B.  Car- 
rick,  Alpheus  Bohon,  George  Bagley,  William  Dodd, 
Louis  Gordon,  S.  B.  Goodrich,  William  L.  Hoff  S. 
E.  Frame,  I.  L.  Eddy,  T.  J.  Keton,  M.  C.  Lowry,  W.  O. 
Stone.O  H.  Stone, A.  L.  Sul)ivan,Daniel  Sullivan,  W. 
S.  Russell,  L.  F.  Voight,  Miss  L.  A.  Stone,  Miss  A.  C. 
Eddy,  Miss  A.  G.  Eddy,  Mrs.  George  Bagley,  Miss 
Emma  Bigelow,  Miss  Kitty  Bigelow,  Miss  Ella 
Bigelow,  Miss  N.  S.  Hazlett.  Meetings  were  held 
until  regalia  was  procured,  but  they  have  been  dis- 
continued for  several  months. 

LEON  COUNCIL,   NO.  18. 

This  council  was  organized  in  Cottonwood,  Feb- 
ruary 8,  18S0,  with  thirty-three  charter  members. 
The  officers  chosen  were:— J.  E.  Niles,  W.  C. ;  B.  A. 
Hazlitt,  Lt.  C. ;  W.  B.  Phelps,  H.;  J.  Bradley,  S. ;  E. 
G.  Bunnell,  F.  S.;  M.  E.  Niles,  T.;  0.  Shaft,  W.; 
H.  S.  Hazlitt,  P.;  H.  H.  McKay,  P.  W.  O;  A. 
Shettler,  Sen.;  L.  R.  Carson,  U.;  E.  Niles,  Mes. 
The  council  has  twice  reached  a  membership  of  for- 
ty-two, and  now  has  thirty-seven  active  members  on 
its  roll.  Its  regalia,  etc.,  is  valued  at  fifty  dollars, 
and  it  is  now  in  a  thriving  condition,  having  suc- 
ceeded to  the  good  work  before  done  by  the  Good 
Templars'  lodge.  The  officers  for  the  present  term 
are:— A.  Shultz,  W.  C;  M.  E.  Niles,  Lt.  C. ;  A. 
Yeago,  H.;  P.  Johnson,  T.;  K.  E.  Niles,  F.  S.;  M. 
Johnson,  P.  ;  E.  Smith,  S. ;  George  Deal,  M. ;  S. 
Clawson,  W.  ;  J.  Shultz,  Sen.;  W.  Deal,  U. ;  0. 
Shaft,  P.  W.  C. 

PATROL    COUNCIL,    NO.   19. 

This  council  was  organized  on  Willow  creek, 
February  15,  1880,  with  thirty-two  charter  mem- 
bers. The  first  officers  were:— C.  J.  Laird,  W.  O; 
Carrie  Jones,  Lt.  C. ;  W.  H.  Bower,  S.;  H.  Weston, 
A.  S.;  J.  E.  Cooley,  F.  S. ;  J.  B.  Ager,  T.;  W.  H. 
Laird,  H.;  H.  T.  Richardson,  W.;  F.  G.  Cooley,  P. 
W.  C.  It  is  in  good  condition,  with  thirty  mem- 
bers, ten  less  than  it  had  at  one  time.  The  present 
officers  are: — F.  G.  Cooley,  W.  C. ;  John  Richardson, 
P.  W.  C;  Miss  Sarah  Cooley,  Lt.  C. ;  Miss  Lou 
Cooley,  W.  S.;  James  B.  Richardson,  A.  S.  ;  John 
Cooley,  H;  H.  F.  Richardson,  T;  Miss  Kate  Cooley, 
F.  S.;  Miss  Nellie  Cooley,  U.;  W.  N.  Thomas,  P.; 
Mrs.  J.  Cooley  and  Miss  Minda  George,  Aids  to  W. 
C;  Carlton  George  and  John  Thomason,  Aids  to  Lt. 
C. ;  J.  M.  Richardson,  S. 

FIDELITY    COUNCIL,  NO.   20. 

Dr.  L.  E.  V.  Coon,  Grand  Lecturer,  organized  this 
council  at  Scott  Bar,  March  4,  1880,  with  the  fol- 
lowing officers  and  charter  members: — W.  T. 
Butcher,  W.  C;  Miss  Lotta  Marfield,  L.  G;  E.  L. 
Maltby,  H.;  Miss  Minnie  Marfield,  F.  S.;  T.  D.  Aus- 
tin, S.;  Miss  Mary  Ryan,  T.;  J.  Klosterman,  W  ; 
A.  Milne,  P.;  E.  Bateman,  M.;  E.  A.  Morgan,  G.;   J. 


Chapman,  Sen.;  W.  Quirk,  U;  M.  A.  Nesbitt  and 
I.  Robinson,  A.  to  W.  G;  J.  Clyman  ami  J.  J.  Ryan, 
A.  to  L.  C;  C.  C.  Tickner,  P.  W.  C;  Mrs.  Emma 
Tickner,  J.  W.  Totten,  G.  Small,  Joseph  Ryan,  C. 
Meamber,  Mrs.  E.  Milne,  Miss  Hattie  Marfield,  Miss 
Mary  Nesbitt,  Miss  Jessie  Nesbitt,  and  Miss  Alice 
Nesbitt.  This  took  the  place  of  the  division  of  Sons 
of  Temperance  that  had  existed  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century,  and  meets  in  the  old  log  hall  built  by  that 
society  in  1855.  It  has  twenty-four  members,  and 
meets  every  Saturday  night.  The  present  officers 
are:— L.  D.  Crawford,  W.  C;  Miss  Hattie  Marfield, 
L.  C;  Miss  Lottie  Marfield,  H;  T.  D.  Austin,  S.; 
Miss  Minnie  Marfield,  F.  S.;  Miss  Mary  Ryan,  T.; 
George  Jensen,  W.;  Mrs.  M.  Nesbitt,  and  I.  Robin- 
son, A.  to  W.  C;  W.  Smith  and  J.  Ryan,  A.  to  L. 
C;  Miss  Mary  McCauley,  A..  S.;  Miss  Jessie  Nesbitt, 
U.;  Miss  Alice  Nesbitt,  M;  Frank  Cushing,  R.;  John 
Totten,  Sen.;  Miss  Mary  Nesbitt,  P.  W.  C. 


YREKA  TURNVEREIN. 

An  old  member  gives  us  the  following  history : — 
Among  the  first  settlers  of  Siskiyou  county,  the 
German  nationality  was  very  largely  represented, 
and  as  the  Germans  are  known  to  be  of  a  social 
inclination,  it  was  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  some 
of  the  prominent  Germans  in  Yreka,  even  in  the 
early  days,  made  a  movement  to  organize  some  kind 
of  society,  or  club,  for  the  purpose  of  social  gather- 
ings of  Germans  of  this  vicinity,  to  meet  and  be 
happy,  and  glory  in  the  memory  of  the  far-off 
Fatherland. 

The  call  for  a  meeting  for  organization  was  made, 
and  the    response   was    beyond    expectation.     This 
was  on  the  eighteenth  day  of  October,  1855.     The 
society  was   called    the    Yreka   Lieder    Tafel    (glee 
club),   under  the  leadership    of    a    musical  genius, 
Heir  Behrens,  from  Bremen,  a  former  tormentor,  or 
teacher  of  Mr.  Charles  Peters,  who  kindly  furnished 
the  necessary  club  rooms   for  the  meetings,  as  well 
as   apparatus    for    turning.     The    society    received, 
within  one  year,  about  150  members.     A  beautiful 
banner  was  procured  from  San  Francisco,  at  a  cost 
of  $180.     The  banner  is  yet  in  the  possession  of  the 
offspring  of  this  society,  the  Turnverein,  ami  to  its 
honor  it  must  be  said    it   has   come   up  to  all  the 
requirements  of  its  ancestor,  and  has  not  dishonored 
the    inherited    banner.     The    first     excursion    the 
society  made  under  this   banner  was  on   the  first 
birthday  of  the  Liefer  Tafel,  October  18,  1856,  to 
to  the  Forest  House,  an  imposing  procession.     One 
hundred    and  fifty  young  men  on  horseback,  with 
flying  colors,  in  holiday  attire,  and  not  a  single  gir] 
within  a  hundred  miles  to  look  at  them  !     A  truly 
heroic  band.     The  procession  went  through  Yreka 
two  abreast,  and  then  to  the  Forest  House,  "  go  as- 
you-please."     Horses  and  saddles  were  that  day  in 
demand.     All  kinds  were  pressed  into  service,  and 
consequently  lots   of  fun    for  outsiders,  for  a  pro- 
cession of  150  horsemen,  very  few  of  them  accus- 
tomed   to    riding,   was    an    exhibition    that    would 
throw  the  best  circus  in  the  shade.     Accommoda- 
tion for  horses  could  not  haw  been  ver)  good  ai  the 
Forest  House  in  those   days,  judgingof   so   manj 
horses  coining   home  without   their    riders.     There 
beino-no  record  in  existence  of  the  membership  in 


184 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


full,  the  names  are  given  only  of  those  still  living 
on  the  coast,  most  of  them  in  Yreka.  They  are : — 
C.  C.  Spanaus,  Charles  Peters,  H.  E.  Stimmel,  Louis 
Huseman,  Adolph  Winckler,  Henry  Schekl,  Henry 
Fried,  George  Fried,  E.  Lauer,  Henry  Pape. 
The  German  society  now  is  known  under  the 
name  of  Yreka  Turnverein,  and  includes  several  of 
the  members  of  the  oldLieder  Tafel.  The  object  of 
the  Turnverein  is  sociablity,  and  the  development 
of  the  mental  and  physical  powers  of  the  young, 
and  to  give  a  yearly  picnic  for  everybody.  The 
Yreka  Turnverein  consists  now  of  forty  members  ; 
has  a  very  nice  brick  hall,  and  some  funds  on  hand 
to  keep  the  society  alive,  and  will  live  for  a  long 
time  to  come,  if  the  young,  growing  sons  of 
the  now  old  German  pioneers  of  Yreka  will 
learn  to  understand  the  meaning  of  the  word 
turnverein.  The  officers  for  the  year  are: — Henry 
Repp,  president;  Herman  Duenkel,  vice-presi- 
dent; Charles  Voss,  recording  secretary;  Henry 
Schekl,  corresponding  secretary ;  Maurice  Rentier, 
treasurer;  Charles  Munro,  first  turner;  Theobald 
Young,  second  turner;  Louis  Huseman,  Charles  C. 
Peters,  Robert  Nixon,  trustees;  Christian  Schock, 
steward;  Charles  Iunker,  Alois  Wetzel,  and  Hugo 
Miller,  finance  committee. 


Mt.  SHASTA  AGRICULTURAL  ASSOCIATION 

In  an  article  published  in  the  Union  in  the  fall  of 
1858,  J.  K.  Luttrell  called  attention  to  the  benefits 
to  the  county  that  would  flow  from  a  properly 
organized  society  for  the  promotion  of  agriculture 
and  other  industries  upon  which  the  people  depended 
for  a  livelihood.  This  resulted  in  a  general  discussion 
of  the  subject  and  finally  in  a  call  for  a  meeting, 
which  was  held  at  the  court  house  early  in  1859. 
This  was  well  attended,  and  the  initiatory  steps  were 
taken,  that  after  a  number  of  adjourned  meetings 
culminated  in  the  foundation  of  the  Siskiyou  Agri- 
cultural, Mechanical  and  Mining  Association,  of 
which  I.  H.  Harris  was  president;  Edwin  Shearer, 
recording  secretary ;  F.  E.  Ensign,  corresponding 
Secretary;  B.  A.  Godfrey,  Treasurer.  A  fair  was 
held  at  Fort  Jones,  commencing  on  the  fifth  of  Octo- 
ber-, and  continuing  several  days.  It  was  a  great 
financial  success,  but  was  not  followed  up,  and  the 
matter  lay  dormant  several  years.  On  the  sixteenth 
of  June, 1866,  the  question  of  a  fair  was  revived  by  the 
organization  at  Fort  Jones,  of  the  Siskiyou  County 
Agricultural  Society.  The  officers  of  the  year  were: — 

E.  Steele,  president ;  John  McConaughy,  vice-presi- 
dent; J.  K.  Luttrell,  secretary;  S.  E.  Stone,  treas- 
urer; and  nine  "directors.  A  fair  was  held  at  Fort 
Jones  from  the  twenty-third  to  the  twenty-seventh 
of  October  of  that  year,  and  was  a  success  in  every 
respect.  In  1867  the  officers  were: — William  Irwin, 
president;  William  Davidson,  vice-president;  H. 
B.  Warren,  secretary;  E.  Wadsworth,  treasurer. 
This  year  the  present  grounds  were  laid  out,  and  the 
fair  was  held  in  Yreka,  October  22-26.  The  same 
officers  served  in  1868. 

The  officers  for  1869  were: — E.  Steele,  president; 

F.  Riley,  secretary.  At  a  meeting  held  February 
20,  1869,  a  resolution  was  passed  inviting  the  sur- 
rounding counties  of  Klamath,  Trinity,  and  Jack- 


YREKA  FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 

The  first  organized  effort  to  battle  with  fire 
was  the  formation  of  Siskiyou  Hook  and  Ladder 
Company,  No.  1,  in  the  summer  of  1856.  At  that 
time  the  city  was  without  a  regular  government, 
but  the  next  year  it  was  incorporated,  and  the 
trustees  then  organized  a  fire  department  by  the 
following  ordinance,  passed  September  7,  1857; — 


son,  to  unite  in  the  organization  of  a  district 
society,  but  nothing  was  effected.  The  society  was 
largely  in  debt,  but  by  the  careful  management  of 
its  officers  was  again  put  on  a  sound  financial 
footing.  The  fair  was  held  October  14-16. 
When  the  society  was  organized  it  was  under- 
stood that  Fort  Jones  should  enjoy  the  privi- 
lege of  having  the  fair  held  at  that  place  occasion- 
ally, but  as  after  the  first  one  there  appeared  no 
prospect  of  getting  another,  a  new  society  was  formed 
there  called  the  Scott  Valley  Agricultural  Society, 
of  which  H.  J.  Diggles  was  president,  and  A.  J. 
Starlings,  secretary.  The  fair  was  held  from  Sep- 
tember 30th  to  October  2d,  and  was  chiefly  an  exhibi- 
tion of  stock,  and  was  not  a  complete  success.  T.  T. 
Cabaniss  was  elected  president  for  1870;  John 
McConaughy,  vice-president;  A.J.  Starlings,  secre- 
tary: A.  B.  Carlock,  treasurer.  The  affairs  of  thesoci- 
ety  were  in  such  a  bad  condition  and  the  outlook  so 
unpromising,  that  it  was  decided  to  make  no  further 
attempt  to  hold  a  fair  at  Fort  Jones.  The  officers 
of  the  Siskiyou  County  Agricultural  Society  for 
1870  were: — H.  L.  Davis,  president;  A.  H.  Burrows, 
secretary;  William  McConnell,  treasurer.  On  the 
third  of  August  J.  M.  Strausser  was  elected  secre- 
tary, vice  A.  H.  Burrows,  resigned.  The  fair  was 
held  October  11-15.  In  1871  William  McConnell 
was  president;  I.  S.  Matthews,  vice-president;  E. 
Wadsworth,  treasurer;  J.  M.  Strausser,  secretary. 
The  fair  commenced  October  18th  and  continued 
four  days.  The  same  officers  served  in  1872,  and 
the  fair  was  held  from  the  ninth  to  the  twelfth 
of  October.  In  1873,  James  Vance  was  president; 
David  Horn,  vice-president;  James  Quinn,  secre- 
tary. The  fair  continued  from  the  first  to  the 
fourth  of  October.  William  McConaughy  was  pres- 
ident in  1874,  and  James  Quinn,  secretary.  The 
fair  was  held  October  7-10.  In  1875  P.  G. 
Strickland  was  president;  James  Quinn,  secretary; 
E.  Wadsworth,  treasurer.  The  fair  occurred  Oc- 
tober 5-9.  The  fair  in  1876  was  held  from  the 
eleventh  to  the  fourteenth  of  October. 

The  society  now  found  itself  about  a  thousand 
dollars  in  debt,  nearly  all  of  which  was  discharged 
by  subscriptions  raised  in  Yreka  and  Little  Shasta 
in  the  spring  of  1877.  This  year  P.  G.  Strickland 
was  re-elected  president.  The  fair  continued  from 
the  third  to  the  sixth  of  October.  Mr.  Strickland 
was  again  chosen  president  in  1878;  Jesse  F.  Davis, 
vice-president. 

In  1880  a  district  was  formed  for  racing  purposes, 
embracing  the  counties  of  Siskiyou,  Trinity,  Shasta, 
and  Modoc  in  this  State,  and  Jackson  and  Lake 
counties  in  Oregon.  W.  S.  Stone  is  president  and  J. 
H.  Magoffey,  secretary.  The  name  was  also  changed 
to  its  present  title. 


&«0wmk,i- 


Mi 


m 


JOSEPH  CAVANAUGH. 


MES.  JOSEPH  CAVANAUGH. 


JOSEPH  CAVANAUGH, 

"Was  born  in  Galway  county,  Ireland,  May  13, 
1828.  He  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1844, 
and  after  a  short  time  spent  in  New  York  settled  at 
Ottawa,  La  Salle  county,  Illinois.  For  a  short  time 
he  remained  there,  and  in  1851  sailed,  via  the  Isth- 
mus, to  California.  In  the  spring  of  1852  he  caine 
to  Siskiyou  county,  and  after  learning  around 
through  the  mines  for  a  short  time  located  on  the 
ranch  now  owned  by  Mr.  Geo.  W.  Arbaugh.  This 
was  in  the  fall  of  1852.  Late  the  next  year  he  sold 
it  and  spent  about  five  years  in  the  Eraser  River 
country.  On  his  return  to  Yreka,  he  worked  at 
his  trade,  ca.rpentering,  which  he  learned  while  liv- 
ing in  Illinois  and  at  St.  Louis.  In  1858  he  pur- 
chased the  place  on  which  he  now  resides,  and  has 
since  been  engaged  in  merchandising  and  is  the 
postmaster.  The  place,  though  in  a  very  rude  con- 
dition when  purchased  by  Mr.  Cavanaugh,  is  noAV 
one  of   the   most   beautiful   locations   in    Siskivou 


county.  The  farm  is  well  watered  and  adapted  to 
grazing.  Mr.  Cavanaugh  has  turned  his  attention 
to  dairying  and  the  breeding  of  thoroughbred  cat- 
tle, having  some  as  fine  Durhams  as  there  are  in  the 
State,  brought  from  the  valley  below  at  a  heavy 
cost,  ranging  from  $100  to  $400  for  each  calf.  His 
dairy  consists  of  about  fifty  cows,  and  the  butter  made 
finds  a  very  ready  sale  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 
There  are  about  400  fruit  trees,  consisting  of  apple, 
peach,  and  pear,  and  small  fruits  of  all  kinds  are 
grown  in  great  abundance.  Mr.  Cavanaugh  was 
married  January  1,  1860,  to  Miss  Ann  Keating. 
By  this  union  there  have  been  four  children,  viz. 
Edward  B.,  Mary  L.,  Richard  E.,  and  Franklin. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cavanaugh  have  by  careful  manage- 
ment surrounded  themselves  with  a  good  and  com- 
fortable home,  and  are  giving  their  children  a  good 
education — the  best  inheritance  they  could  have. 
The  place  is  called  Butteville  and  the  name  of  the 
post-office,  Edgewood,  described  and  illustrated  else- 
where in  this  volume. 


■  '.-'    ■■'■ 


___."  ^m     M 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


185 


§1.  That  the  fire  department  of  said  city  be  commenced  in 
its  organization  by  recognizing  and  adopting,  in  behalf  of 
the  city,  the  "Siskiyou  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  No.  1," 
with  their  own  code  of  by-laws  for  their  government,  as  at 
present  existing ;  and  the  foreman  of  said  company  shall  be  ex 
officio  fire  warden  of  the  city  of  Yreka,  to  give  place,  however, 
hereafter  to  the  foreman  of  the  Engine  Company  No.  1,  when- 
ever such  company,  with  an  engine,  shall  be  organized.  * 
The  legitimate  object  of  such  fund  (a  fund  created  by  fines  for 
violation  of  fire  ordinances)  being  declared  to  be — 

1st,  The  payment  of  830.00  per  month  to  said  foreman, 
towards  defraying  the  amount  of  expenses  and  time  lost  by  him 
in  the  duties  prescribed.     If  there  be  a  balance  left  then — 

2d,  The  payment  of  attendants  hired  at  the  engine  or  hook 
and  ladder  house,  lights,  fuel,  etc. 

3d.  The  accumulation  of  the  balance  (if  any  should  be  still 
left  in  the  hands  of  the  City  Treasurer)  to  be  employed,  when 
amounting  to  $1,000,  in  sending  to  a  manufacturer  for  a  new 
and  good  fire  engine. 

This  had  been  in  effect  but  a  month  when  a 
disastrous  fire  occurred  in  the  west  end  of  town. 
The  heroic  conduct  of  the  firemen  caused  the  trus- 
tees to  pass  the  following  vote  of  thanks,  October 
19,  1857,  which  is  a  very  original  piece  of  compo- 
sition : — 

Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  this  Board  be  rendered  to  the 
Siskiyou  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  No.  1,  for  their  efficient 
action  in  arresting  the  progress  of  the  disastrous  fire  of  the  night 
of  October  18,  1857,  in  saving  the  large  brick  building,  which, 
on  fire  itself,  was  in  contact  with  an  intense  fire  on  two  sides, 
and  in  conjunction,  with  the  efforts  of  the  citizens,  in  prevent- 
ing the  crossing  of  the  flames  over  Oregon  street,  which,  if 
passed,  would  have  been  immense,  and  to  express  the  opinion  of 
the  Board  in  few  words — they  worked  awkwardly  fr  m  want  of 
practice  and  discipline,  but  they  worked  efficiently  as  firemen, 
and  to  the  best  of  purpose,  being  successful ;  and  in  connection 
with  the  same,  the  thanks  of  the  full  Board  are  rendered  to  all 
those  citizens  who  took  active  and  efficient  part  in  the  same, 
and  especially  to  the  owners  and  occupants  of  the  Yreka  Brew- 
ery, who  turned  the  hose  from  the  force  pump  upon  the  wooden 
buildings  on  Oregon  street,  and  thus  materially  contributed  to 
save  crossing  there;  and  also  thanks  to  the  Deputy  Marshals 
and  special  police,  who  kept  order  and  security  during  the  night 
following. 

The  same  day  that  this  resolution  was  passed  a 
mass  meeting  of  citizens  was  held  to  discuss  the 
subject  of  protection  from  fire,  and  to  see  what 
action  could  be  taken  for  the  better  security  of  the 
city  from  another  such  disastrous  conflagration. 
After  a  full  and  earnest  discussion,  resolutions  were 
passed  requesting  the  board  of  trustees  to  levy  a 
tax  to  raise  seven  thousand  dollars  for  the  purpose 
of  buying  a  fire  engine  and  fixtures,  and  to  construct 
cisterns,  etc.  A  committee,  of  which  D.  D.  Colton, 
Samuel  P.  Fair,  William  D.  Batterton  and  G.  T. 
White  were  members,  was  appointed,  to  lay  the  res- 
olutions before  the  board.  This  they  did  at  the 
meeting  held  on  the  second  of  November,  General 
Colton  offering  to  collect  the  tax  free  of  charge,  and 
Mr.  Fair  proffering  his  services  as  assessor  at  the 
same  price.  A  week  later,  the  question  was  con- 
sidered, and  the  board  decided  not  to  levy  the  tax, 
as  it  was  too  late  in  the  season  to  transport  so  heavy 
an  article  into  the  mountains,  but  promised  to  con- 
sider the  matter  early  in  the  spring.  In  the  mean- 
time the  citizens  were  requested  to  observe  more 
closely  the  provisions  of  the  fire  ordinance,  and  to 
aid  and  encourage  the  fire  department. 

In  January,  1858,  the  board  ordered  a  Hunneman 
engine  from  Boston.  The  hook  and  ladder  company 
petitioned  the  board  for  the  privilege  of  using  the 
engine,  but  it  was  decided  to  form  a  new  company 
for  that  purpose,  and  so  Yreka  Engine  Company, 
No.  1,  was  organized.  The  engine  was  shipped  in 
March,  and  cost  alone,  $725,  the  necessary  appar- 
24 


atus  and  three  hundred  feet  of  hose,  costing  $625. 
additional.  This  arrived  in  due  season  and  was 
committed  to  the  charge  of  the  new  company.  The 
apparatus  of  the  hook  and  ladder  company  was  pur- 
chased from  them  by  the  board  in  October,  1S58, 
and  still  left  in  their  charge. 

In  January,  1859,  officers  of  the  fire  department 
were  elected  as  provided  for  by  statute,  and  annu- 
ally an  election  is  held  in  January  for  officers  to 
serve  the  current  year. 

In  December,  1859,  another  engine,  similar  to  the 
first  one,  two  four-wheel  hose  carriages,  and  600  feet 
of  hose,  were  ordered  of  Hunneman  &  Co.,  costing 
$1,400,  and  on  which  nearly  $1,000  freight  was  paid. 
The  engine  was  offered  to  the  hook  and  ladder  com- 
pany, and  by  them  declined,  and  in  May,  Klamath 
Engine  Company,  No.  2,  was  formed  to  take  charge 
of  it,  the  engine  soon  after  arriving.  In  accordance 
with  the  provisions  of  the  statute,  delegates  to  the 
board  of  delegates  were  chosen  by  the  three  com- 
panies in  1865,  but  the  board  did  not  organize.  The 
delegates  elected  in  1866  did  meet  late  in  the  year 
and  organized  a  board  of  delegates  in  due  form. 

In  1859  the  engine  house  was  burned,  and  in  1860 
the  present  one,  corner  of  Miner  and  Third  streets, 
was  purchased,  and  has  since  been  occupied  by 
Yreka  Engine,  No.  1,  and  the  hook  and  ladder  truck. 
In  the  Spring  of  1861  the  engine  house  on  Miner 
above  Oregon  street  was  built  for  No.  2,  at  a  cost  of 
over  $2,000. 

September  20,  1878,  the  fire  ordinance  was 
amended  so  as  to  forbid  the  construction  of  any 
wooden  building  within  one  hundred  feet  of  the 
center  of  Main  or  Miner  street,  from  the  intersection 
of  those  two  streets  to  Center  on  the  south  and  Gold 
street  on  the  west. 

The  water  supply  consists  of  large  cisterns  in  the 
streets  at  convenient  points,  kept  full  of  water  from 
Scheld's  ditch.  January  3,  1865,  the  board  of  trus- 
tees passed  Ordinance  No.  22,  as  follows: — 

Section  1.  A  Board  of  Delegates  of  the  Fire  Department  of 
the  Inhabitants  of  Yreka  City  is  hereby  created,  which  shall 
consist  of  seven  members. 

Sec.  2.  The  Chief  Engineer  of  said  Fire  Department  shall,  by 
virtue  of  his  office,  be  a  member  of  said  Board  of  Delegates,  and 
two  members  of  said  Board  of  Delegates  shall  be  elected  by  each 
of  the  following-named  companies  of  said  Fire  Department, 
namely:— Yreka  Engine  Company,  Number  One;  Klamath  Engine 
Company,  Number  Two;  Siskiyou  Hook  and  Ladder  Company, 
Number  One. 

Sec.  3.  Members  of  said  Board  of  Delegates  shall  be  elected 
at  the  regular  annual  election  of  said  companies  for  company 
officers. 

The  first  board  of  delegates  did  not  assemble 
until  September  of  the  next  year,  when  they  organ- 
ized as  per  the  following  minutes  of  their  first 
meeting : — 

Yreka,  September  15,  1800. 

The  elected  delegates  of  the  companies  of  Yreka  Firu  Depart- 
ment met  at  the  engine  house  to  organize  as  a  "  Board  of  Dele- 
gates of  Yreka  Fire  Department. "  .,._.. 

Of  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  Robert  Nixon  and  Ad.  \\  inck- 
ler  Of  Yreka,  No.  1  Company,  Frank  Ranoua  and  Frank 
Richards.     Of  Klamath,  No.  2  Company,  William   Duenkel  and 

Sam  Pellet.  ,     , 

In  absence  of  the  Chief  Engineer,  Robert  I  VY\  itt,  on  motion, 
Frank  Ranouswas  chosen  toact  as  Chairman  pro  tern.  On  motion, 
\<1  Wiuckler  was  elected  Secretary  of  this  Board  for  theensning 
term  On  motion,  it  was  ordered  to  contract  with  Frank  Smith 
for  the  manufacture  of  a  seal  for  the  Yreka  Fire  I  ►epartment,  for 
the  consideration  of  twenty  dollars;  the  seal  representing  the 
coat  of  arms  of  the  State  of  California,  and  around  this,  in  a  cir- 


186 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


cle,  the  words  "  Yreka  Fire  Department,"  engraved  in  copper  or 
brass.  On  motion,  Robert  Nixon  was  ordered  to  print  three  hun- 
dred exemption  certificates,  for  the  sum  of  fifteen  dollars.  On 
motion,  the  Secretary  was  ordered  to  call  upon  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  Yreka  City,  and  draw  the  order  of  fifty  dollars, 
allowed  to  the  Board  of  Delegates  of  this  department,  to  defray 
the  expenses  for  seal,  stationery,  etc.  On  motion,  the  Board 
adjourned  to  meet  at  the  call  of  the  Chairman. 

Ad.  Wtncklee, 
Secretary. 

The  board  of  delegates  has  met  several  times 
each  year,  with  the  exception  of  1879,  when  no 
meetings  were  held.  The  business  of  the  board 
has  been  chiefly  the  granting  of  exemption  certifi- 
cates, to  which,  under  the  law,  a  man  who  has 
served  five  years  continuously  in  the  volunteer  fire 
department,  is  entitled.  He'  is  thereafter  relieved 
from  the  payment  of  all  dues. 

The  holders  of  certificates  granted  by  the  board, 
with  the  name  of  the  organization  of  which  the 
holder  was  a  member,  and  the  date  of  issue  of  the 
certificates,  are  given  below: — 

Robert  0.  De  Witt,  Klamath,  December  18,1806. 
Charles  Iunker,  Yreka,  December  18,  1866. 
Alexander  Stewart,  Klamath,  December  18,  1866. 
Fred  Ringe,  Klamath,  December  18,  1866. 
Joseph  Fellows,  Klamath,  December  18,  1866. 
Robert  Nixon,  Siskiyou,  December  18,  1866. 
Frank  Whitten,  Yreka,  December  18,  1866. 
Louis  Monnet,  Klamath,  December  18,  1866. 
August  Rabellie,  Siskiyou,  December  18,1866. 
Emil  Lauer,  Yreka,  December  18,  1866. 
J.  Hessenauer,  Klamath,  December  18,  1866. 
John  Pashburg,  Yreka,  December  18,  1866. 
Henry  Scheld,  Yreka,  December  18,  1866. 
Charles  Roth,  Siskiyou,  December  18,  1866. 

Eugene  Cronne, ,  December  18,  1866. 

Walter  Pitts,  Yreka,  October  19,  1867. 
Louis  Huseman,  Yreka,  October  19,  1867. 
Matthew  Miner,  Yreka,  October  19,  1867. 
W.  W.  Powers,  Siskiyou,  October  19,  1867. 
Asher  Ent,  Klamath,  October  19,  1867. 
William  Irwin,  Klamath,  October  19,  1867. 
George  Smith,  Klamath,  October  19,  1867. 
Frank  E.  Ensign,  Klamath,  October  19,  1867. 
August  Klinge,  Klamath,  October  19,  1867. 
G.  A.  Nordheim,  Klamath,  October  19,  1867. 
W.  S.  R.  Taylor,  Yreka,  October  19,  1867. 
Christ.  Schock,  Klamath,  March  10,  1868. 
Alois  Wetzel,  Klamath,  March  10,  1868. 
Maurice  Renner,  Klamath,  March  10,  1868. 

B.  Guilbert,  Siskiyou,  March  10,  1868. 
Philip  Seldner,  Yreka,  March  10,  1868. 
James  Bassett,  Klamath,  July  15,  1868. 
Samuel  Pellet,  Klamath,  July  15,  1868. 
H.  Conroy,  Klamath,  July  15,  1868. 
August  Berggren,  Klamath,  July  15,  1868. 
E.  Ranous,  Yreka,  July  15,  1868. 

E.  C.  Spannaus,  Siskiyou,  July  15,  1868. 
H.  M.  Bowman,  Siskiyou,  December  12,  1868. 
Henry  Geney,  Klamath,  December  12,  1868. 
Fred  Buck,  Klamath,  December  12,  1868. 
William  Peters,  Yreka,  December  12,  1868. 

C.  F.  Richards,  Yreka,  December  12,  1868. 
Thomas  Walker,  Yreka,  July  20,  1869. 

A.  E.  Paine,  Yreka,  July  20,  1869. 
George  Fried,  Klamath,  March  4,  1870. 
Joseph  Lang,  Klamath,  March  4,  1870. 
John  Uerlings,  Klaniath,  March  4,  1870. 


Paul  F.  Fuchs,  Klamath,  March  4,  1870. 
Henry  Egbert,  Klamath,  May  17,  1870. 
Christ  Ehret,  Klamath,  May  17,  1870. 
Jacob  Schlitter,  Klamath,  May  17,  1870. 
Eugene  J.  Jackson,  Klamath,  May  17,  1870. 
Charles  Andres,  Klamath,  May  17,  1870. 
Theobald  Young,  Klamath,  May  17,  1870. 
A.  E.  Raynes,  Yreka,  July  30,  1870. 
Robert  F.  Young,  Yreka,  July  30,  1870. 
Herman  Pfenninger,  Klamath,  July  30,  1870. 
Henry  Repp,  Klamath,  September  2,  1870. 
James  Vance,  Siskiyou,  February  11,  1871. 
John  M.  Walbridge,  Siskiyou,  February  11,  1871. 
Charles  Lebeau,  Siskivou,  February  11,  1871. 
Oscar  D.  Witherill,  Yreka,  February  11,  1871. 
George  S.  Witherill,  Yreka,  February  11,  1871. 
Nicholas  Schlagel,  Klamath,  February  11,  1871. 
Jacob  Hansen,  Klamath,  February  11,  1871. 
Charles  Breton,  Klamath,  February  11,  1871. 
William  Klinge,  Klamath,  February  11,  1871. 
Herman  Duenkel,  Klamath,  October  6,  1871. 
William  Duenkel,  Klamath,  October  6,  1871. 
Benjamin  F.  Smith,  Siskiyou,  August  8,  1872. 
William  H.  Harrison,  Yreka,  August  8,  1872. 
John  Walters,  Klamath,  January  4,  1873. 
George  Walzer,  Klamath,  January  4,  1873. 
William  Stine,  Siskiyou,  January  4,  1873. 

E.  Dudley,  Siskiyou,  January  4,  1873. 
John  Foal,  Klamath,  April  11,  1874. 
Jacob  Hager,  Klamath,  April  11,  1874. 

P.  F.  McManus,  Klamath,  January  13,  1875. 

F.  W.  Merritt,  Klamath,  Januaiy  13,  1875. 
John  Muller,  Klamath,  January  13,  1875. 
John  Schneble,  Klamat\  October  30,  1876. 
Louis  Nehrbass,  Klamath,  January  20,  1877. 
Amandi  Tisso,  Klamath,  January  20,  1877- 
Charles  Bluhm,  Yreka,  January  20,  1877. 

F.  Stockslager,  Yreka,  January  20,  1877. 
Melchior  Meyer,  Klamath,  February  13, 1878. 
Valentine  Keefer,  Siskiyou,   February   13,  1878. 
William  Thompson,  Klamath,  April  10,  1878. 
John  S.  Cleland,  Yreka,  April  10,  1878. 

G.  W.  Webb.  Yreka,  April  10,  1878. 
Hudson  B.  Gil  lis,  Yreka,  April  10,  1878. 
William  Eckhart,  Yreka,  April  10,  1878. 
Thomas  Amos,  Siskiyou,  December  9,  1878. 
Frank  Dumas,  Yreka,  December  9,  1878. 
Hugo  Miller,  Klamath,  March  10,  1880. 

C.  Schnackenbei'g,  Klamath,  December  16, 1880. 
Paul  O.  Lemay,  Yreka,  February  10,  1881. 
Orrin  Champlin,  Siskiyou,  February  10,  1881. 

BOARD   OF   DELEGATES. 

1866. 

Robert  O.  De  Witt,  chief  engineer ;  Robert  Nixon, 
Adolph  Winckler,  secretary;  Frank  Ranous,  Frank 
Richards,  William  Duenkel,  Samuel  Pellet. 

1867. 

Louis  Huseman,  chief  engineer;  Henry  Pape, 
Fred  Ringe,  Edgar  W.  Potter,  R.  O.  De  Witt,  Adolph 
Winckler,  secretary. 

1868. 

Louis  Huseman,  chief  engineer;  John  Pashburg, 
secretary;  Charles  F.  Richards,  Adolph  Winckler, 
William  Stine,  G.  D.  Hickox,  E.  J.  Jackson. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


187 


1869. 
James  Vance,  chief  engineer;  Henry  Wadsworth, 
John  Pashburg,  secretary;  Robert    Nixon,  Charles 
Roth,  G.  D.  Hickox,  E.  J.  Jackson. 

1870. 
Samuel    Pellet,    chief   engineer;    John    M.    Wal- 
bridge,    Edgar    W.    Potter,    secretary;    Charle3   F. 
Richards,    John     Pashburg,    Maurice    Renner,    F. 
Merritt. 

1871. 
Alonzo  E.  Raynes,  chief  engineer ;  Charles  Roth, 
Edgar    W.     Potter,     secretary ;     William     Peters, 
Maurice  Renner,  John  Uerlings. 

1872. 
Theobald   Young,   chief  engineer;  Charles    Roth, 
Edgar   W.  Potter,  secretary ;    George    Fried,   Alois 
Wetzel,  A.  E.  Raynes,  Henry  Wadsworth. 

1873. 
Robert  O.  De  Witt,  chief  engineer;  George  Fried, 
Henry  Repp,  Henry  Wadsworth,  secretary. 

1874. 
Robert    Nixon,    chief    engineer ;    Alois    Wetzel, 
Herman  Duenkel,  James  Vance,   secretary  ;  Henry 
Scheld,  William  Stine. 

1875. 
Robert  Nixon,    chief   engineer;   Louis  Huseman, 
E.  H.  Schofield,  Charles  Clodi,  secretary;  A.  Guilbert, 
John  Uerlings,  George  Fried. 

1876. 
Alonzo  E.  Rajmes,  chief   engineer ;  N.  Schlagel, 
George  S.  Witherill,  James  Vance,  secretary. 

1877. 
Henry  Scheld,  chief  engineer;  Frank  Smith,  John 
Hart,  Jacob  Hager,  John  Uerlings,  Samuel  Magoffey, 
A.  E.  Paine,  secretary. 

1878. 
John     Uerlings,     chief    engineer;    John    Miller, 
George  Fried,  John   Hart,  George  S.  Witherill,  sec- 
retary; P.  A.  Olmstead. 

1879. 
A.  H.  Burrows,  chief  engineer.     [Board  did  not 
meet  this  year.] 

1880. 
A.   H.   Burrows,    chief   engineer;   Alois   Wetzel, 
William  Thompson,  B.  F.  Smith,  George  S.  With- 
erill, secretary;  Charles  Lebeau. 

1881. 
John    E.     Harmon,     chief     engineer;    Nicholas 
Schlagel,  Britton  Irwin,  George  S.  Witherill,  secre- 
tary; Samuel  Magoffey,  Robert  Nixon,  J.  T.  Skinner. 

DEPARTMENT   OFFICES. 
1859. 

Chief  Engineer,  *Samuel  P.  Fair. 
Assistant,  -j-Dr.  J.  Babb. 
Secretary,  W.  S.  Moses. 

1860. 
Chief  Engineer,  Dr.  J.  Babb. 

*Ran  away,  and  H.  D.  Van  Wyck  elected  in  June. 
tResigned  in  October,  J.  S.  ^eck  appointed. 


Assistant,  J.  M.  Daniels. 
Secretary,  W.  S.  Moses. 

1861. 
Chief  engineer,  John  S.  Peck. 
Assistant. 
Secretary. 

1862. 
Chief  Engineer,  H.  K.  White. 
Assistant,  D.  D.  Williams. 
Secretary. 

1863. 
Chief  Engineer,  George  W.  Myers. 
Assistant,  Charles  Roth. 
Secretary,  R.  O.  De  Witt. 

1864 
Chief  Engineer,  R.  0.  DeWitt, 
Assistant,  D.  S.  McClintock. 
Secretary,  F.  J.  French. 

1865. 

Chief  Engineer,  R.  0.  DeWitt. 
Assistant,  David  Ream. 
Secretary,  McD.  C.  Houck. 

1866. 
Chief  Engineer,  R,  0.  DeWitt. 
Assistant,  Louis  Huseman. 
Secretary,  Matthew  Miner. 

1867. 
Chief  Engineer,  Louis  Huseman. 
Assistant,  John  Hessenauer. 
Secretary,  Samuel  Pellet. 

1868. 

Chief  Engineer,  Louis  Huseman. 
Assistant,  James  Vance. 
Secretary,  A.  E.  Paine. 

1869. 

Chief  Engineer,  James  Vance. 
Assistant,  Fred  Ringe. 
Secretary,  William  Duenkel. 

1870. 

Chief  Engineer,  Samuel  Pellet. 
Assistant,  A.  E.  Raynes. 
Secretary,  William  Duenkel. 

1871. 

Chief  Engineer,  A.  E.  Raynes. 
Assistant,  Theobald  Young. 
Secretary,  E.  W.  Potter. 

1872. 

Chief  Engineer,  Theobald  Young. 
Assistant,  Robert  Nixon. 
Secretary,  A.  E.  Paine. 

1873. 

Chief  Engineer,  R.  0.  DeWitt, 
Assistant,  0.  D.  Witherill. 
Secretary,  Adolph  Winckler. 

1874. 

Chief  Engineer,  Robert  Nixon. 
Assistant,  Maurice  Renner. 
Secretary,  Adolph  Winckler. 


188 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


1S75. 
Chief  Engineer,  Robert  Nixon, 
Assistant,  Henry  Seheld. 
Secretary,  Adolph  Winckler. 

1876. 
Chief  Engineer,  A.  E.  Raynes. 
Assistant,  Theobald  Young. 
Secretary,  Charles  Iunker. 

1877. 
Chief  Engineer,  Henry  Seheld. 
'Assistant,  Fred  Ringe. 
Secretary,  P.  F.  McManus. 

1878. 
Chief  Engineer,  John  Uerlings. 
Assistant,  E.  Ranous. 
Secretary,  Robert  Nixon. 

1879. 
Chief  Engineer,  A.  H.  Burrows. 
Assistant,  J.  G.  Hallick. 
Secretary,  Theobald  Young. 

1880. 
Chief  Engineer,  A.  H.  Burrows. 
Assistant,  John  E.  Harmon. 
Secretary,  Charles  Lebeau. 

1881. 
Chief  Engineer,  John  E.  Harmon. 
Assistant,  Valentine  Keefer. 
Secretary,  A.  E.  Paine. 

SISKIYOU   HOOK   AND   LADDER   COMPANY,    NO.   1. 

The  organization  of  this  company  is  best  under- 
stood from  the  minutes  of  the  meeting  called  for 
that  purpose: — 

Yreka  City,  July  6,  1S56. 

At  a  meeting  of  a  portion  of  the  citizens  of  Yreka  City,  held 
at  the  court  house,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  Hook  and  Lad- 
der Company  of  firemen,  William  F.  Sommereamp  was  called  to 
the  chair,  and  J.  W.  A'Neal  appointed  Secretary, 

On  motion,  the  meeting  proceeded  to  elect  officers  and  organize 
themselves  into  a  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  officers  to  be 
elected  for  the  ensuing  year.  The  following  officers  were  duly 
elected  to  preside  over  said  company,  to- wit: — 

For  Foreman  of  the  Company,  H.  H.  Riker. 

For  Assistant  Foreman  of  the  Company,  William  T.  Hanford. 

For  Treasurer  of  'the  Company,  John  P.  Smith. 

For  Secretary  of  the  Company,  J.  W.  A'Neal. 

On  motion,  a  committee,  consisting  of  H.  D.  VanWyck,  S. 
Alexander,  W.  F.  Sommereamp,  and  H.  H.  Riker,  was  appointed 
to  wait  on  the  citizens  of  Yreka  City,  to  solicit  subscriptions 
for  the  purchase  of  the  necessary  apparatus  for  the  use  of  the 
company.  On  motion,  a  committee,  consisting  of  H.  H.  Riker, 
\V.  T.  Hanford  and  John  Loag,  was  appointed,  to  draft  a  code 
of  by-laws  for  the  company. 

On  motion,  the  meeting  adjourned  until  Thursday  evening, 
July  the  9th,  1S56. 

H.  H.  Riker,  Foreman. 

J.  W.  A'Neal,  Secretary. 

On  the  ninth  by-laws  were  adopted.  On  the 
fourteenth,  the  committee  on  subscription  reported 
$1,010  secured,  also  $177  received  from  a  benefit 
tendered  by  theEthiopian  Minstrels.  On  the  twenty- 
fifth,  W.  F.  Sommereamp  was  chosen  treasurer, 
vice  Smith,  resigned.  C.  C.  Highby  was  also 
elected  second  assistant  foreman,  August  16th, 
and  H.  D.  Van  Week  was  elected  secretary,  Sep- 
tember 7th,  to  succeed  J.  W.  A'Neal.  The  truck 
was  purchased  in  San  Francisco,  together  with  the 
requisite  number  of  buckets,  hats   and   belts,  by  J. 


P.  Smith,  who  had  been  sent  below  with  $600  for 
that  purpose.  The  apparatus  arrived  in  November. 
Ladders  were  manufactured  at  home.  In  December 
$400  were  received  as  the  result  of  a  benefit  given 
by  the  Pioneer  Troupe.  January  1,  1857,  the  first 
firemen's  ball  ever  held  in  Yreka  was  given  by  this 
company,  and  was  a  grand  affair.  To  see  the  class 
of  men  who  constituted  this  organization,  it  is  but 
necessary  to  glance  over  the  following  list  of  famil- 
iar names,  being  the  assignment  to  various  branches 
of  duty,  made  December  23,  1856. 

Ladder  Men.— H.  K.  White,  G.  W.  Stilts  John 
Loag,  Henry  Pape,  J.  H.  Heckman,  M.  Runkle, 
W.  D.  Slade,  R.  L.  Tilden,  Robert  Nixon,  John 
Taylor. 

Axe  Men.— George  Myers,  H.  E.  Stimmel,  W.  F. 
Sommereamp,  A.  J.  Bonner,  A.  J.  Hitzelberger,  G. 
Hanson. 

Hook  Men.— Samuel  P.  Fair,  H.  Ackley,  M.  C. 
White,  Alexander  Coryell,  W.  T.  Kershaw,  —  Lytle, 
W.  W.  Powers,  F.  A.  Rogers,  J.  W.  A'Neal,  S.  Alex- 
ander. 

The  board  of  trustees  of  the  city  having  decided 
to  purchase  an  engine,  for  the  better  security  from 
fire,  in  January,  1858,  this  company  desired  the 
machine  to  be  placed  in  its  hands.  It  was,  however, 
decided  to  organize  an  engine  company,  and  to  pre- 
serve the  hook  and  ladder  organization  as  it  then 
existed.  In  October,  1858,  the  apparatus  of  the 
company  was  sold  to  the  city  for  $600,  and  the  com- 
pany theoretically  disbanded,  but  its  members  sent 
in  a  petition  to  the  trustees,  asking  to  be  constituted 
a  company  to  take  charge  of  the  truck.  This  was 
granted,  and  the  members  of  the  new  company  met 
at  the  court  house,  October  26,  1858,  to  perfect  an 
organization.  Gen.  John  D.  Cosby,  was  called  to  ' 
the  chair,  and  F.  A.  Rogers  chosen  secretary.  Offi- 
cers were  chosen  to  serve  until  the  first  of  January, 
1859: — H.  D.  Van  Wyck,  foreman;  George  W. 
Myers,  first  assistant;  J.  B.  Oldham,  second  assist- 
ant; H.  K.  White,  secretary;  C.  C.  Higby,  treas- 
urer. 

The  members  of  the  new  company  as  assigned  for 
duty  were: — 

Axe  Men. — W.  W.  Powers  (captain),  D.  F.  Bar - 
ranger,  W.  D.  Bradshaw,  J.  M.  Atteberry,  J.  D.  Will- 
iams, W.  T.  Newcomb. 

Hook  Men,  No.  1 — H.  H.  Riker  (captain),  Will- 
iam McConnell,  S.  I.  Moore,  S.  Cohen,  A.  J.  Hitzel- 
berger, M.  Hambero-er,  H.  H.  Brown,  John  Kolch, 
Martin  Kaiser. 

Hook  Men,  No.  2.— C.  C.  Higby  (captain), 
George  Boas,  L.  S.  Watson,  C.  Moore,  J.  L.  Cum- 
mins, A.  M.  Herron,  J.  W.  Keenan,  Jacob  Hartman, 
Sebastian  Mauer. 

Ladder  Men. — J.  B.  Oldham  (captain),  S.  Alex- 
ander, John  Daniels,  L.  Livingston,  P.  H.  Hoff,  Fred. 
Stine,  August  Rabille,  J.  H.  Warren,  R.  L.  Tilden, 
H.  G.  King,  J.  M.  Tremble,  A.  J.  Bonner,  A.  R 
Coryell,  E.  Cronne,  H.  H.  Simpson,  B.  F.  Hoffman. 

Bucket  Men. — Robert  Nixon,  Jr.  (captain), 
James  O'Brien,  George  F.  White,  John  Taylor,  L. 
Marriss,  S.  F.  Van  Choate,  J.  Greenwald,  F.  T. 
Kaiser,  S.  Alexander,  George  W.  Sleeper,  Isador 
Blum,  J.  H.  Heckman,  E.  Bloomingdale,  Adolph 
Winckler,  A  Witherill,  Robert  Baird. 

In  the  Spring  of  1860,  a  new  engine  having  been 


DANIEL  BEAM,  M.  D. 


DANIEL   BEAM,  M.  D., 

Was  the  first  son  and  second  child  of  Henry  and 
Helen  (Coffman)  Beam.  His  father  was  born  at 
Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  May  14,  1804,  and  his 
mother  near  Hagarstown,  Maryland,  September 
12,  1807.  They  were  married  in  Maryland  in 
1827,  and  Daniel  was  born  near  Hagarstown, 
Washington  county,  Maryland,  June  20,  1830. 
When  he  was  about  eleven  years  of  age  his 
parents  removed  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  and  in 
1846  removed  to  Abingdon,  Iowa,  where  they 
purchased  a  farm  and  kept  the  boys  at  work  in 
summer  and  at  school  in  the  winter.  He  studied 
medicine  with  his  father  who  was  also  a  doctor,  and 
in  later  years  entered  the  Eclectic  Medical  Institute 
at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  from  which  he  graduated.  In 
1S52  he  crossed  the  plains  to  California,  via  Oregon, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1853,  was  mining  on  Rogue 
river,  near  the  mouth  of  Grave  creek.  They  were 
driven  away  from  there  by  the  Indians,  and  the 
Doctor  then  removed  to  Siskiyou  county  with  a 
band  of  cattle,  in  company  with  Sampson  Smith. 
After  disposing  of  the  cattle  he  began  mining  on 
Humbug  creek.  Sickness  began  to  prevail,  and 
when  it  was  known  that  he  was  a  physician,  so 
great  was  the  demand  upon  his  time  for  professional 
services,  that  he  abandoned  mining  and  entered 
actively  into  practice,  locating  at  Dead  wood,  where, 
in  1856,  he  opened  a  drug  store.  Here  he  remained 
until  1859,  when  he  was  elected  coroner,  and  removed 
to  Yreka,  where  he  has  since  continued  to  reside. 
In  1861  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Siskiyou  county, 
anil  rendered  very  satisfactory  services  to  the 
people.  In  1867  he  was  elected  collector.  In  1877 
he  was  elected  by  the  people  of  Modoc,  Siskiyou, 
Shasta  and   Trinity  counties   to   represent  them  in 


the  Senate  of  this  State,  which  he  did  creditably. 
Was  married  September  12,  1864,  to  Miss  Alice 
Augusta  Belden,  and  on  July  3,  1865,  his  son  Henry 
B.  was  born,  and  on  March  6,  1867,  his  daughter 
Nellie'  Sophia  was  born,  dying  August  28,  1867- 
His  wife  was  a  native  of  Akron,  Ohio,  where  she 
was  born  July  7,  1843,  and  died  at  Yreka,  May  7, 
1867.  In  1876  the  doctor  was  again  married  to 
Miss  Lora  Virginia  Calhoun,  daughter  of  David  and 
Marie  Calhoun.  While  in  the  Senate  he  was  chair- 
man of  the  Hospital  Committee,  on  Committee  of 
Education,  of  Engrossed  Bills,  of  Mines  and  Mining 
Interests,  and  made  the  first  report  ever  made  on 
Hospitals.  He  is  a  member  of  North  Star  Lodge, 
No.  91,  at  Fort  Jones,  and  of  Cyrus  Chapter,  No. 
15,  of  which  he  has  been  High  Priest.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Council,  of  which  he  has  been  thrice 
Illustrious.  Has  been  Master  of  North  Star  Lodge, 
and  is  an  active  member  of  Ieka  Tribe  of  Red  Men. 
In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Democrat.  He 
says  that  he  never  went  to  bed  but  once  on  account 
of  sickness;  never  knew  from  experience  what  a 
headache,  toothache,  or  earache  was.  This  is 
remarkable  when  we  take  into  consideration  the 
hardships  he  has  endured  while  in  the  execution  of 
his  duties  as  sheriff  and  physician.  It  is  said  of 
him  that  he  never  was  known  to  turn  back  or  yield 
up  a  trip  on  account  of  snow  or  water,  making 
some  tedious  and  dangerous  trips  over  the  mountains. 
The  Doctor  enjoys  the  good-will  and  esteem  of 
a  large  majority  of  his  fellow-citizens.  In  his 
profession  he  has  been  successful.  Is  the  inventor 
and  successful  user  of  what  he  terms  "  Glue  Band- 
age," used  in  the  setting  of  fractured  limbs,  a  great 
improvement  over  many  other  methods,  as  many  a 
poor  miner  can  testify. 


(0 

or 

o 

h- 

Ld 

rr 

Q- 

O 

rr 

_l 

n 

3 

u 

i 

f 

_j 

u 

LJ 

u 

m 

.^ 

□L 

o 

> 

< 
(  1 

X 

UJ 

l/J 

CD  U) 

or 

<r 

a 

h 

Ul 

% 

otf 

1 

'.0 

Z 

hi 

(_) 

? 

z 

< 

Ul 

s 

^: 

*k: 

a 

a 

LU 

_J 

o 

z 

3 

HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


189 


ordered  for  the  city,  it  was  named"  Siskiyou,  No.  2," 
and  offered  to  this  company.  The  offer  was  declined, 
and  the  name  was  changed  to  "  Klamath,  No.  2," 
and  a  new  company  organized  to  receive  it. 

The  following  gentlemen  have  been  foreman  of  the 
company  since  its  first  organization: — 

1856,  H.  H.  Riker;  1857,  H.  K.  White;  1858, 
Samuel  P.  Fair,  until  reorganization  in  October, 
balance  of  year,  H.  D.  VanWyck;  1859,  H.  D.  Van 
Wyck  until  July,  George  W.  Myers;  1860,  C.  0. 
Higby;  1861,  Henry  Myers;  1862,  A.  R.Coryell; 
1863,  Charles  Rogers;  1864,  John  Dugan;  1865,  G. 
W.  Hackett ;  1866,  Robert  Nixon;  1867,  James 
Vance;  1868,  William  McConnell  ;  1869,  William 
Stine;  1870,  B.  F.  Smith;  1871,  W.  W.  Powers- 
1872,  J.  T.  Skinner;  1873,  E.  Dudley  ;  1874,  Charles 
Clodi;  1875,  G.  M.  Lawton;  1876,  Valentine  Kee- 
fer;  1877,  J.  G.  Hallick  till  April,  L.  Rabille  till 
July,  B.  F.  Smith;  1878,  Erskine  Parks  till  July, 
Robert  Nixon ;  1879,  Robert  Nixon ;  1880,  Robert 
Nixon  ;  1881,  H.  Kessler.  The  other  officers  for  the 
current  year  are: — Erskine  Parks,  first  assistant; 
Archibald  Nichols,  second  assistant;  E.  Dudley, 
treasurer ;  James  Miner,  secretary ;  Britton  Irwin 
and  Robert  Nixon,  delegates. 

The  members  of  the  company  are  twenty-nine  in 
number: — 

Exempt  —  Valentine  Keefer,  T.  B.  Davidson, 
Robert  Nixon,  James  Vance,  Charles  Lebeau,  E. 
Dudley,  Charles  Bonhardt,  Adolph  Winckler,  John 
G.  Hallick,  B.  F.  Smith,  J.  M.  Walbridge,  W.  W. 
Powers,  Britton  Irwin. 

Regular — H.  Kessler,  John  Maxey,  John  Lehners, 
Melvin  Hovey,  Erskine  Parks,  Otto  Sippel,  Dr.  W. 
H.  Kins',  A.  Zehnder,  J.  H.  Sawtelle,  James  M.  Miner, 
H.  J.  Carlisle,  James  M.  Davidson,  Archibald  Nichols, 
Harry  Schwatka,  J.  M.  Powers. 

The  truck  is  kept  in  the  engine  house,  corner  of 
Miner  and  Third  streets,  where  regular  meetings  are 
held  the  first  Monday  of  each  month. 

YREKA   ENGINE    COMPANY.    NO.    1. 

The  council  having  decided  to  buy  an  engine  for 
fire  purposes,  in  January,  1858,  they  were  requested 
by  Siski3'ou  Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  to  permit 
them  to  take  charge  of  the  new  machine,  but  the 
request  was  denied,  it  being  thought  desirable  to 
form  a  new  company.  A  number  of  interested  gentle- 
men held  an  informal  meeting  and  prepared  the  fol- 
lowing petition,  which  was  presented  to  the  council: — 

To  the  Hon.  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  City  of  Yreha — Gen- 
tlemen:— The  memorial  of  the  undersigned  respectfully  sheweth, 
that  they  learn  your  Hon.  Body  have  made  arrangements  for  the 
purchase  of  a  Fire  Engine,  for  the  better  protection  of  our  City 
against  the  ravages  of  fire.  The  want  of  a  Fire  Engine  is  plainly 
manifest  to  all,  and  the  recent  conflagration  urges  upon  our  citi- 
zens the  necessity  of  taking  immediate  action  in  the  premises,  and 
as  an  Engine,  unless  in  the  hands  of  a  regularly  organized  associa- 
tion, is  comparatively  worthless;  Therefore,  we,  the  undersigned, 
do  hereby  offer  our  services  to  your  Hon.  Body,  to  take  charge  of 
said  Engine  upon  its  arrival  here  and  put  the  same  in  working 
condition,  and  do  pledge  our  earnest  endeavors  towards  the  for- 
mation of  an  active  and  efficient  Company  to  manage  and  work 
the  same,  and  agree  to  conform  to  such  general  rules  and  regula- 
tions as  may  be  hereafter  adopted  by  your  Hon.  Body,  and  are 
customary  between  a  volunteer  Fire  Department  and  the  author- 
ities under  which  it  acts. 

We  are,  gentlemen,  very  respectfully, 

J.  P.  Smith,  John  0.  Taylor, 

W.  S.  R.  Taylor,  C.  W.  Tozer, 

F.  M.  Ranous,  Win.  S.  Moses, 

C.  Peters,  Henry  Pape, 


C.  Nickel, 
Henry  Fried, 
J.  Babb, 

John  H.  Van  Pelt, 
Ykeka,  January  1  ltli,  1S5S. 


L.  Autenrieth, 
Anson  Goldsmith, 
Solomon  Finch, 

Win.  Baldwin. 


This  petition  met  with  a  favorable  consideration, 
and  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  February  the  company 
formally  organized  by  adopting  a  constitution  and 
by-laws,  and  selecting  for  its  motto,  "We  strive  to 
save."  The  new  engine  arrived  early  in  the  sum- 
mer, and  was  received  with  a  procession  of  both 
companies  and  much  rejoicing.  The  company  has 
existed  and  done  good  service  for  twenty-three 
years,  and  still  has  its  engine  in  splendid  condition, 
ready  for  instant  use.  In  1864,  the  following  was 
the  roll  of  membership: — Walter  Pitts,  foreman; 
Ad.  John,  first  assistant  foreman;  S.  Wetzel,  second 
assistant  foreman;  M.  Miner,  secretary;  H.  Scheld, 
treasurer;  L.  Autenrieth,  E.  Lauer,  J.  Martin,  H. 
Pape,  C.  Peters,  J.  Robinson,  J.  Babb,  F.  M.  Ranous, 
H.  Ranous,  A.  E.  Paine,  F.  E.  Shimer,  J.  H.  Drum- 
mond,  Chas.  Hoffman,  A.  P.  Van  Dnzer,  George 
Reyman,  Zach.  Gibbs,  John  Corley,  W.  Peters,  T. 
D.  Austin,  C.  F.  Richards,  C.  H.  Cole,  T.  Walker, 
L.  Rosenberg,  John  Pashburg,  L.  Huseman,  H. 
Deming,  VV.  J.  Paul,  M.  Philips. 

Contributing  and  Honorary  Members. — Chas. 
Linker,  G.  C.  Furber,  M.  B.  Callahan,  John  Loag, 
H.  E.  Stimmel,  W.  Chamberlin. 

The  early  records  of  this  company  cannot  be 
found.  Since  1876  the  foreman  have  been: — A. 
B.  MeMillen,  1876-77;  A.  H.  Burrows,  1878; 
George  S.  Jackson,  1879;  Elihu  Ranous  1S80; 
George  S.  Jackson,  1881.  The  officers  for  the  cur- 
rent year  are: — George  S.  Jackson,  foreman  ;  Frank 
Dumas,  first  assistant;  Herman  W.  Scheld,  second 
assistant;  John  Pashburg,  treasurer;  W.  H.  King, 
secretary ;  George  S.  Witherill  and  Samuel  Magoffey, 
delegates.     The  list  of  members  is  as  follows: — 

Exempt — L.  Autenrieth,  Charles  Bluhm,  John  S. 
Cleland,  J.  D.  Caughlan.  J.  Clarkson,  F.  Dumas, 
W.  Eichart,  H.  B.  Gillis,  Louis  Huseman,  W.  H. 
Harrison,  J.  Martin,  Samuel  Magoffey,  Charles 
Peters,  John  Pashburg,  A.  E.  Paine,  Elihu  Ranous, 
A.  E.  Raynes,  Henry  Scheld,  E.  H.  Schofield,  F. 
Stockslager,  S.  Wetzel,  O.  D.  Witherill,  George 
Witherill,  George  W.  Webb,  R.  F.  Young,  W.  T. 
Laird. 

Regular — T.  Jensen,  A.  H.  Burrows,  Charles 
Doyle,  P.  0.  Lemay,  P.  A.  Olmstead,  George  S. 
Jackson,  L.  A.  Lash,  Joseph  Rice,  W.  J.  Wallis, 
Frank  Riley,  George  W.  Bowen,  H.  W.  Scheld,  W. 
H.  King,  C.  C.  McNulty. 

Regular  meetings  are  held  the  first  Friday  of 
each  month,  at  the  engine  house,  corner  of  Miner 
and  Third  streets. 

KLAMATH   ENGINE   COMPANY,   NO.    2. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Yreka 
City,  held  December  19,  1859,  about  one  year  after 
the  receipt  of  the  first  fire  engine,  the  following 
order  was  passed : — 

The  president  was  directed  to  order  from  Hunneman  4  Co., 
Boston,  another  fire  engine  for  the  city,  similar  in  all  respects 
to  the  one  now  belonging  to  the  city;  also  two  detached,  four- 
wheel  hose  carriages,  alike  in  all  respects;  also  six  hundred  feel 
of  fire  hose;  and  it  was  also  ordered  that,  on  receipt  of  the  new 
engine,  it  be  given  in  charge,  through  the  chief  engini  •  t  of  the 
fire  department,   to  the  Hook  and   Ladder  Company,  No.  1,  on 


190 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


the  surrender  by  said  company,  to  the  city,  of  all  the  apparatus 
belonging  thereto. 

A  special  meeting  of  the  board  was  held  April  30, 
I860,  at  which  the  following  action  was  taken: — 

Communication  from  Siskiyou  Hook  and  Ladder  Company, 
No.  1,  received  through  their  foreman,  C.  C.  Higby,  that  upon 
taking  a  vote  of  the  company,  upon  the  reception  of  Engine  No. 
2,  that  the  company  respectfully  decline  the  honor  conferred 
upon  them  by  the  order  of  the  control  of  said  engine;  they  are 
attached  to  their  hook  and  ladder  carriage  and  apparatus,  and 
prefer  to  remain  with  the  same.  The  report  was  received  and 
the  said  offer  withdrawn ;  and  as  the  said  engine  had  been 
named  "  Siskiyou,"  for  said  company  to  retain  their  former 
titles,  and  as  it  is  not  convenient  to  have  two  companies 
of  the  same  name,  the  name  of  the  engine  is  hereby  altered  to 
"Klamath,  No.  2."  being  after  the  principal  river  of  Siskiyou 
county,  and  the  lake  in  which  it  takes  its  rise. 

A  petition  for  the  control  of  said  engine  was  then  received 
from  R.  0.  DeWitt,  John  M.  Ruukle,  R.  Pfluger,  A.  Wetzel,  D. 
Powers,  B.  Glaser,  H.  Otto,  G.  Gambel,  M.  Erlenbach,  T.  A. 
Whiting,  M.  Oppenheimer,  P.  Murray,  J.  Fellows,  J.  Bostwick, 
and  Robert  Lehman.  Petition  granted,  and  the  company  directed 
to  organize  during  the  present  week  if  practicable. 

The  following  is  a  transcript  of  the  minutes  of  the 
meeting  held  to  organize  as  above  directed: — 

Yreka,  May  5,  1860. 

In  pursuance  to  an  order  passed  April  30,  1860,  by  the  Hon- 
orable Board  of  Trustees  for  the  city  of  Yreka,  requesting  the 
organization  and  election  of  officers  for  Klamath  Engine  Com- 
pany, No.  2 — 

On  motion,  John  M.  Runkle  was  called  to  the  chair,  and  R. 
O.  DeWitt  appointed  Secretary  pro  tern.  Whereupon  the  Presi- 
dent proceeded  to  an  organization  by  ordering  an  election  of  offi- 
cers, that  being  the  first  order  of  business.  Whereupon  John  M. 
Runkle  was  nominated  for  Foreman;  there  being  no  opposition 
he  was  declared  duly  elected.  Next  in  order  was  the  election  of 
First  Assistant  Foreman.  Robert  Pfluger  was  nominated;  there 
being  no  opposition,  he  was  declared  unanimously  elected.  Next 
in  order  was  the  election  of  Second  Assistant  Foreman.  Josiah 
Bostwick  was  nominated;  there  being  no  opposition,  he  was 
unanimously  elected.  Next  in  order  was  the  election  of  Secretary. 
R.  O.  DeWitt  nominated;  there  being  no  opposition,  he  was 
declared  elected.  Next  in  order  was  the  election  of  Treasurer. 
M.  Erlenbach  was  nominated;  there  being  no  opposition,  he  was 
declared  duly  elected. 

The  officers  elected  were  assigned  their  respective  duties.  The 
Foreman  appointed  a  committee  on  by-laws  and  constitution  for 
governing  the  company.  Joseph  Fellows,  M.  Erlenbach,  and 
R.  0.  DeWitt  appointed  said  committee,  with  instructions  to 
report  at  next  regular  meeting.  There  being  no  other  business, 
the  meeting  adjourned,  to  meet  on  Tuesday  the  5th  June,  1860. 

R.  0.  DeWitt,  Secretary. 

On  the  eighth  of  May  the  foreman  reported  the 
organization  of  the  company  to  the  board  of  trus- 
tees, and  Klamath  Engine  Company,  No.  2,  was 
then  formally  recognized  as  a  portion  of  the  fire 
department.  The  constitution  and  by-laws  were 
adopted  June  5th.  The  engine  soon  arrived  and  the 
company  quickly  prepared  itself  to  render  efficient 
service  in  case  of  fire. 

The  following  is  given  "  officially" : — 

Yreka,  June  6,  1866. 

Regular  meeting  K.  E.  Co.,  No.  2. — 

Several  members  were  present.  The  Foreman  disappeared 
before  calling  the  meeting  to  order.  Waited  for  his  return  until 
we  got  powerful  dry,  and  adjourned  with  a  firm  resolution  to 
fine  him  for  one  keg  of  lager  at  the  next  meeting. 

Adjourned.  Sam.  Pellet,  Secretary. 

A  careful  search  of  the  record  fails  to  reveal  any 
further  information  on  the  subject,  but  it  is  inti- 
mated by  those  who  know,  that  he  paid  the  fine  in 
installments. 

In  January,  1877,  an  attempt  was  made  to  organ- 
ize a  hose  company  of  twenty  boys,  to  be  connected 
with  this  organization,  but  it  was  unsuccessful. 


The  following  gentlemen  have  held  the  position 
of  foreman : — 

1860— John  M.  Runkle. 

1861 — Pembroke  Murray. 

1862 — Pembroke  Murray. 

1863— Robert  O.  DeWitt. 

1864 — William  Irwin. 

1865 — John  Hessenauer. 

1866 — John  Hessenauer. 

1867— John  Uerlings. 

1868 — John  Uerlings. 

1869— Joseph  Lang. 

1870 — John  Uerlings. 

1871— P.  F.  McManus. 

1872— John  Miller. 

1873 — Maurice  Renner. 

1874 — Joseph  Hager. 

1875 — Joseph  Hager. 

1876 — Alexander  Stewart,  till  June  7.  John 
Uerlings. 

1877— Alois  Wetzel. 

1878 — Louis  Nehrbass. 

1879— P.  F.  McManus. 

1880— John  Miller. 

Officers  for  1881  are: — John  Miller,  foreman; 
Theobald  Young,  first  assistant ;  George  Fried,  Jr.,  I 
second  assistant;  Louis  Nordheim,  secretary;  Henry 
Repp,  treasurer;  Nicolas  Schlagel,  and  James  T. 
Skinner,  delegates.  The  membership  of  fifty  is 
divided  as  follows  : — 

Exempt  —  John  Miller,  Theobald  Young,  Henry 
Repp,  Nicolas  Schlagel,  Herman  Duenkel,  Claus 
Schnackenberg,  Hugo  Miller,  Christian  Schock, 
Louis  Nehrbass,  Jacob  Hager,  Alois  Wetzel,  William 
Thompson,  George  Fried,  P.  F.  McManus,  Maurice 
Renner,  John  Uerlings,  John  Foil,  Charles  Breton, 
William  Duenkel,  Paul  Fuchs,  Jacob  Hansen,  John 
Hessenauer,  Adam  lffland,  Melchior  Meyer,  G.  A. 
Nordheim,  F,  Ringe,  John  Schneble,  Amadie  Tisso, 
John  Walters,  Jacob  Schlitler,  Robert  0.  DeWitt, 
George  Maltzer,  Henry  Egbert,  Samuel  Pellet. 

Regular — George  Fried,  Jr.,  Louis  Nordheim, 
James  T.  Skinner,  John  Harmon,  H.  A.  Morse,  0. 
Stephenson,  F.  Clement,  Nicolas  Conner,  Herman 
Schlagel,  Eugene  Germond,  Augustine  Dionne, 
Joseph  Bradlock,  Myron  Carrick,  Henry  Herzog, 
George  Otto,  J.  H.  Adams. 

Regular  meetings  held  in  the  engine  house  on 
Miner  street,  the  first  Wednesday  in  each  month. 


MILITIA. 


In  the  militia  organization  of  the  State,  made  in 
1855,  it  was  formed  into  six  divisions,  composed 
of  several  brigades  each.  A  major-general  com- 
manded each  division,  and  a  full-fledged  brigadier- 
general  was  at  the  head  of  each  brigade.  There 
were  generals,  Geld  and  staff  officers  enough  to  have 
commanded  a  hundred  thousand  men.  Each  gen- 
eral had  his  staff  of  colonels,  lieutenant-colonels, 
majors,  and  captains,  until  military  titles  almost 
went  begging  for  claimants.  It  took  no  great 
military  genius  to  become  a  general;  in  fact,  the 
more  attention  paid  to  politics  and  the  less  to  mili- 
tary, the  better  were  the  aspirant's  chances  to 
receive  a  commission;  and  the  commonest  kind  of 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


19] 


a  man  could  become  a  colonel  or  a  major  if  he 
pulled  the  proper  political  string.  To  show  how 
top-heavy  this  organization  was,  it  will  only  be 
necessary  to  state  that  Butte,  Plumas,  Colusa, 
Shasta,  Siskiyou,  Trinity,  Humboldt,  and  Klamath 
counties,  the  whole  north  end  of  the  State,  formed 
the  sixth  division,  commanded  by  Maj.  Gen. 
Patrick  Harris;  and  Siskiyou,  Trinity,  Humboldt, 
and  Klamath  counties  composed  the  second  brio-ade, 
under  the  command  of  Brig.  Gen.  D.  D.  Colton. 
This  brigade,  besides  its  complement  of  staff  officers, 
was  composed  of  the  overwhelming  force  of  one 
company  of  seventy-five  men,  the  Siskiyou  guards 
of  Humbug  City,  commanded  by  Capt.  William 
Martin.  The  fault  was  not  that  there  were  not 
companies  enough,  for  there  were  all  that  the  State 
required  or  could  afford,  but  that  the  military 
system  had  been  built  up  on  such  a  gigantic  frame- 
work, that  the  few  little  companies  fell  through 
the  rafters;  to  have  filled  up  the  ranks  to  corre- 
spond with  the  commissions,  would  have  taken  every 
able-bodied  man  in  the  State. 

Early  in  1856  Maj.  Gen.  John  D.  Cosby,  of  Yreka, 
assumed  command  of  the  sixth  division,  and  was 
succeeded  in  December,  1859,  by  Maj.  Gen.  R.  M. 
Martin,  of  Shasta  valley.  Brig.  Gen.  D.  D.  Colton 
was  succeeded  in  the  command  of  the  second  brigade 
July  5,  1861,  by  Brig.  Gen.  James  T.  Ryan,  of 
Eureka.  In  1863  there  was  a  complete  reorgani- 
zation of  the  militia  system,  and  although  the 
number  of  companies  and  the  rank  and  file  had 
largely  increased,  the  field  officers  were  materially 
reduced.  Instead  of  six  major  generals  there  was 
but  one  for  the  whole  State,  and  instead  of  two 
dozen  brigadiers  there  were  but  six.  The  fifth 
brigade  was  composed  of  Butte,  Tehama,  Shasta, 
Trinity,  Siskiyou  and  Plumas  counties,  and  was  com- 
manded by  Brig.  Gen.  John  Bidwell,  of  Chico,  from 
September  8,  1863,  till  the  reorganization  in  1868, 
when  Brig.  Gen.  James  C  Rolly,of  Red  Bluff,  assumed 
command,  to  be  succeeded  April  1,  1873,  by  Brig. 
Gen.  Charles  Cadwallader,  of  Red  Bluff,  who  still 
holds  the  position.  Since  1868  there  has  been  no  com- 
pany in  Siskiyou  county  belonging  to  the  State 
militia. 

There  have  been  but  few  regularly  organized  mili- 
tia companies  in  the  county,  but  a  great  many  vol- 
unteer organizations  have  been  formed  at  various 

o 

times  to  punish  Indians  for  ravages  committed  upon 
the  whites,  the  composition  of  which,  as  near  as  it 
can  now  be  ascertained,  will  be  found  in  the  accounts 
given  of  these  expeditions,  reserving  for  this  place 
simply  the  regular  militia   organizations. 

SISKIYOU    GUARD. 

The  first  militia  company  of  Siskiyou  county  was 
organized  December  6,  1855,  at  Humbug  City,  upon 
petition  to  R.  L.  Westbrook,  County  Judge,  under 
the  Act  of  April  25,  1855.  The  petition  bears  the 
names  of  sixty-one  citizens  of  Humbug,  nearly  all 
of  whom  became  members  of  the  company,  and  in 
the  absence  of  a  roster,  these  names  are  given : — 
William  Martin,  James  B.  Holloway,  A.  M.  Jones, 
James  0.  Harris,  D.  C.  Ealls,  E.  B.  Lovelace,  Z. 
Hanes,  Thomas  Baker,  Edward  Flanegan,  Denis  F. 
Patrick,  Henry  Swanholm,  W.  W.  Kentnour, 
Michael  M'Namar,  J.  S.  Waddle,  Robert  Davis,  A. 


M.  Bayles,  R.  M.  Dooley,  E.  L.  Kneff,  Peter  Rine- 
hart,  R.  Johnson,  J.  Hager,  W.  J.  Davis,  E.  D.  Still- 
man,  John  W.  Hammond,  John  Leard,  H.  H.  War- 
man,  John  McDermott,  Thomas  Merrill,  H.  F. 
McGraw,  G.  W.  Cups,  Philip  Clark,  Austin  Haw- 
kins, William  G.  Rider,  W.  L.  Piatt,  Eli  Lipe,  J.  M. 
Woodworth,  T.  B.  Stillman,  D.  Moore,  Z.  T.  Gibbs, 
V.  Moore,  C.  Moft'et,  G.  Moore,  W.  T.  Partinson,  .J. 
R.  Eaton,  W.T.  Settlemire,  J.  Young,  S.  D.  Harrod, 
N.  Grover,  C  R.  Garden,  M.J.  Austin,  G.  F.  Dooley, 
William  Fisher,  J.  W.  Dooley,  J.  O.  Brinn,  Joseph 
Hanna,  H.  M.  Petersen,  Pearce  Ratlin"',  Samuel  Fos- 
ter, Isaac  P.  Frost,  J.  C.  Jones.  The  officers  chosen 
were: — William  Martin,  captain;  James  B.  Hallo- 
way,  first  lieutenant;  H.  H.  Warman,  second 
lieutenant;  John  Leard,  brevet  second  lieutenant; 
Z.  T.  Gibbs,  orderly. 

This  company,  with  others  organized  for  that  pur- 
pose, composed  the  force  that  went  into  the  Modoc 
country  the  following  summer,  under  the  command 
of  Maj.  Gen.  John  D.  Cosby,  an  account  of  which 
is  given  elsewhere.  Soon  after  the  return  from 
this  campaign  the  company  disbanded. 

SCOTT   RIVER   GUARDS. 

This  company  was  added  to  the  fifth  brigade  on 
the  twenth-sixth  of  January,  1856,  being  organized 
b}r  D.  A.  Learned,  appointed  for  that  purpose  by 
Judge  Westbrook.  The  roster  contained  sixty-two 
names: — 

Captain — William  H.  Lytle. 

First  Lieutenant — Stanford  Capps. 

Second  Lieutenant — F.  G.  Collins. 

Third  Lieutenant — J.  T.  Hunt. 

Sergeants  —  Francis  Qualey,  Jeremiah  Corbin, 
Samuel  W.  Childs,  George  G  McLane. 

Corporals — L.  Brown,  Daniel  Winsor,  Robert  B. 
States,  H.  D.  Mount. 

Privates — F.  Adams,  L.  Brown,  S.  F.  Brown,  W. 
L.  Cain,  Clinton  Barney,  James  Cormack,  P.  B.  Bur- 
gett,  W.  S.  Chandler,  E.  L.  Cold ren,  William  Cooke, 

F.  H.  Dean,  N.  Daniels,  Charles  Farnham,  Eben 
Farnham,  E.  H.  Farnham,  E.  J.  Fulton,  C  A.  Granis, 
W.  R.  Hurst,  Augustine  Haas,  George  L.  Havs,  W. 

G.  Hardin,  George  R.  Hill,  S.  A.  Hawkins,  Dennis 
Harkin,  J.  R.  Hale,  C.  Jost,  J.  N.  Jackson,  T.  Joice, 
John  Rain,  G.  B.  King,  D.  A.  Learned,  Anthony 
Lillis,  J.  H.  Lindsay,  C.  Macauley,  John  McLothin, 
Ichabod  Newcomb,  Joseph  R.  Pratt,  L.  Robins,  A. 
F.  Royer,  Henry  Roper,  William  Shorras,  J.  W. 
Stevenson,  Henry  Stier,  D.  T.  Owens,  \V.  N.  Sam- 
son, G.  M.  Uspery,  W.  E.  Wilson,  John  H.  Warner, 
William  B.  Walker,  Adam  Wimep. 

This  company  remained  in  existence  several  years 
and  then  disbanded. 

SISKIYOU   LIGHT  GUAM). 

This  company  was  organized  in  Yreka  October  14, 
1861,  with  the  following  officers: — 
Captain — George  W.  Chase. 
First  Lieutenant — A.  E.  Raynes. 
Second  Lieutenant — H.  Wadsworfch. 
Brevet  Second  Lieutenant — lulius  Drown. 
Orderly  Sergeant — H.  L.  Seward. 
Second  Sergeant — H.  B.  Warren, 
Third  Sergeant — S.  M.  Farren. 
Fourth  Sergeant. — Walter  Pitts. 


192 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


First  Corporal — J.  Martin. 

Second  Corporal — J.  T.  "West. 

Third  Corporal— C.  M.  Gazley. 

Fourth  Corporal — C.  A.  Thomas. 

In  this  form  the  company  existed  for  two  3'ears, 
and  was  then  reorganized  and  mustered  into  the 
State  service,  June  20,  1863,  as  Company  D,  Fifth 
Brigade.  When  it  thus  became  a  portion  of  the 
regular  militia  organization  of  the  State,  the  roster- 
showed  the  names  of  many  of  the  most  prominent 
citizens  of  Yreka. 

Captain — George  W.  Chase. 

First  Lieutenant — William  Grow. 

Second  Lieutenant — Robert  Baird. 

Brevet  Second  Lieutenant — C.  C.  Green. 

Sergeants— A.  P.  McCarton,  S.  M.  Farren,  Walter 
Pitts,  John  Dugan,  H.  B.  Warren. 

Corporals — J.  Churchill,  David  Ream,  J.  Humes, 
William  Dunn. 

Privates — T.  D.  Austin,  J.  L.  Baker,  E.  J.  Baxter, 
H.  M.  Bowman,  A.  V.  Burns,  E.  Brotherton,  C.  E. 
Burrows,  J.  H.  Drummond,  H.  J.  Ehlers,  F.  E. 
Ensign,  H.  W.  Farmer,  J.  A.  Free,  F.  J.  French,  G. 
W.  Hackett,  W.  H.  Harrison,  McD.  Houck,  J.  H. 
Lammon,  H.  E.  Lockhart,  F.  H.  Longley,  D.  S.  Mc- 
Clintock,  S.  L.  McNeil,  Robert  Nixon,  W.  D.  Page, 
L.  Pool,  F.  A.  Rogers,  W.  W.  Skinner,  J.  P.  Smith, 
A.  J.  Starling,  F.  Stockslager,  T.  N.  Stone,  J.  T. 
West,  H.  K.  White. 

A  year  latei*  on  the  sixth  of  July,  1864,  William 
Grow  was  elected  captain,  and  J.  Churchill,  first 
lieutenant.  On  the  eighteenth  of  July,  1865,  Joseph 
F.  West  became  senior  second  lieutenant,  and  J.  H. 
Drummond  junior  second  lieutenant.  At  this  time 
the  company  was  forty-five  strong.  The  militia  of 
the  State  was  reorganized  in  1866,  and  on  the  fourth 
of  August  the  Siskiyou  Light  Guard  was  again 
mustered  into  the  service  with  sixty-six  men,  and 
the  following  officers: — W.  S.  R.  Taylor,  captain; 
Robert  Nixon,  first  lieutenant;  J.  H.  Drummond, 
second  lieutenant. 

In  1868,  there  was  a  great  reduction  of  the  mili- 
tary  force  of  California,  and  among  other  companies 
mustered  out  of  the  service  was  the  Siskiyou  Light 
Guard,  June  6,  1868.  This  was  the  last  militia 
company  of  importance  in  the  county  of  Siskiyou. 

SCOTT   VALLEY    GUARDS. 

A  military  company  was  organized  in  Scott  val- 
ley, June  24, 1863,  with  the  following  officers  : — 

Captain — D.  H.  Shaw. 

First  Lieutenant — R.  S.  Green. 

Second  Lieutenant — John  T.  Moxley. 

Junior  Second  Lieutenant — Oliver  Mathews. 

Sergeants — A.  P.  Van  Duser,  E.  F.  Horey,  D. 
Gingher,  J.  Flock,  Samuel  Whitman. 

Corporals — P.  Markey,  I.  A.  Reynolds,  A.  Dutton, 
0.  Crawford. 

The  company  never  progressed  beyond  the  election 
of  officers. 

SISKIYOU   GUARD. 

March  25,  1876,  this  company  was  organized  in 
Yreka,  with  sixty-six  men.  J.  V.  Brown  was  cap- 
tain; Charles  Clodi,  first  lieutenant,  and  Charles 
Cornish,  second  lieutenant.  It  was  not  admitted 
into  the  State  organization,  and  had  but  a  brief 
existence. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

INDUSTRIES. 

The  resources  and  industries  of  Siskiyou  county 
are  of  three  kinds,  agricultural,  mining',  and  manu- 
facturing. They,  to  a  large  extent,  support  and 
sustain  each  other,  and  were  it  not  for  the  home 
market  created  and  supported  by  the  mines,  agri- 
culture would  never  have  been  so  fully  developed, 
nor  so  ably  sustained.  Without  a  railroad  the  farm- 
ers of  this  county  are  thrown  chiefly  upon  the 
home  demand  to  furnish  a  market  for  their  produce, 
and  this  the  mining  industry  creates  and  supports. 

As  early  as  1851  land  claims  were  taken  up  in 
Scott  and  Shasta  valleys,  the  first  industry  being 
the  cutting  of  hay  for  the  Yreka  and  Scott  Bar 
market,  as  well  as  the  grazing  of  cattle  for  a  supply 
of  beef.  Near  Yreka,  in  1852,  Alvy  Boles  raised  a 
great  many  vegetables  and  a  quantity  of  wheat, 
barley,  and  oats.  In  January,  1852,  E.  W.  Conner 
packed  from  Reading's  ranch  thirty  mule-loads  of 
wheat  for  P.  A.  Heartstrand  and  Asa  White,  of 
Scott  valley.  The  grain  was  bought  of  Major  Read- 
ing for  four  dollars  per  bushel,  and  Mr.  Conner 
received  fifty  cents  per  pound  for  packing,  making 
the  total  cost  thirty-four  dollars  per  bushel.  This 
wheat  was  put  in  the  ground  that  spring,  and  the 
crop  was  sold  that  fall  for  eighteen  dollars  per 
bushel  to  other  farmers.  Grain  that  year  was  also 
procured  from  Oregon,  and  Boles  sold  barley  and 
oats  for  seed,  so  that  in  1853,  all  three  of  these 
cereals  were  raised  in  considerable  quantity  in  Scott 
valley,  and  a  few  small  crops  in  Shasta  valley. 
The  increase  in  the  production  of  grain  is  well 
shown  by  the  appended  table.     The  quality  of  the 


1S55.     1860.     1866.     1870.      1875.      1880. 


Inclosed  acres 

Cultivated  acres. .  . 

Wheat,  acres 

Wheat,  bushels .  . . 

Barley,  acres 

Barley,  bushels .  . . 

Oats,  acres 

Oats,  bushels 

Corn,  acres 

Corn,  bushels 

Potatoes,  acres .... 
Potatoes,  bushels. . 

Hay,  acres 

Hay,  tons 

Butter,  pounds. . . . 
Cheese,       " 
Honey,       " 
Wool, 

Hives  of  bees 

Horses 

Mules 

Cattle 

Cows 

Sheep 

Hogs 

Poultry 

Apple  trees 

Pear  trees 

Plum  trees 

Peach  trees 

Cherry  trees 

Gooseberry  vines. . 
Raspberry  vines  . . 
Strawberry  vines.  . 

Grape-vines 

Wine,  gallons 

Brandy,    "       

Beer,  "      


3,000 
60,000 

1,200 
24,000 

1,500 

37,500 

250 


600 
60,000 


1,000 
2,500 
3,000 


200 


54,187 


22,586 
80,774 
'4,936 


54,339 


8,680 
S4,692 
13,383 


1,150 


2,881 
70S 

29,S00 

6,317 

2,000 

7,190 

101,000 

10,000 
2,000 
3,000 

15,000 
1,000 


5,856 
13,373 

4,545 
81,156 

1,692 
54.S99 

2,099 

57,900 

75 

1,364 

71 

11,187 

3,210 

5,997 
56,450 
11,210 

5,790 

7,200 
598 

4,125 

543 

14,315 

2,259 
14,912 

4,493 
18,000 
20,061 

1,105 
992 

8,118 
677 

1.935 

4,411 
16,905 

8,469 


67,620 
46,740 

9,840 
135,800 

2,400 
5S,200 

3,200 

76.S40 

100 

3,300 

600 

78,000 

6,800 
12,000 
75,580 

6,700 

4,000 


1,000 
9,820 
1,178 
6,900 
5,100 

28,000 
6,000 

23,764 

37,500 
2,080 
1,600 

15,840 
1,240 

10,200 
9,800 

60,000 

57,000 
4,500 


130,000 

28,395 

12,000 

180,000 

2,450 

49,000 

4,720 

118,000 

250 

2,500 

350 

70,000 

8,350 

12,525 

80,000 

2,500 

3,800 


4, 70S 

534 

45,967 


34,068 
2,200 


> 

50,000 
500 
800 

10,000 


210,000 

26,000 

7,500 

120,000 

5,600 

108,000 

2,600 

70,000 

275 

5,500 


8,000 

17,000 

105,000 

16,000 


144,000 

1,000 

6,004 

663 

21,769 
2,320 

36,014 
4,093 
8,400 

50,000 
3,000. 
3,200 
8,000 


30,000 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


ELTON  T.  BAILEY 

Was  born  near  Parkersburg,  Virginia,  in  1834.  His 
parents  were  natives  of  Scotland.  While  still  an 
infant  he  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Illinois,  which 
was  then  sparsely  settled  and  passing  through  the 
pioneer  stage  of  development.  Here  he  lived  with 
his  folks  until  arrived  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  when 
the  aimless  energies  of  youth  are  directed  and  merged 
into  the  progressive  purposes  and  desires  'of  man- 
hood. It  was  then  that  he  carried -"out  a  plan  of 
emigration  to  the  Pacific  coast,  by  crossing  the 
plains  with  the  tide  of  emigration  which  surged 
westward  in  1853.  Mr.  Bailey  came  directly1  to 
Yreka  and  began  to  engage  in  mining  in  the  neio-h- 
borhood.  His  first  efforts  were  made  at  Dead  wood, 
followed  by  ventures  on  the  Scott  and  Klamath 
rivers.  Afterwards  he  spent  some  time  ininino-  in 
Shasta  county.  In  1857  he  operated  on  McAdams 
creek,  then  he  changed  to  Indian  creek,  where  he  has 
remained  continually  working  at  mining  until  the 
winter  of  1880  and  spring  of  1881,  when  the  dis- 
covery of  the  Grizzly  Bonanza  ledge  was  made,  in 
which  he  and  Mr.  E.  D.  Brown  are  interested.  This 
has  been  a  big  paying  strike,  and  Mr.  Bailey  is  amply 
deserving  of  the  rich  reward  for  his  pains  that  he  is 
reaping.  Mr.  Bailey  was  married  to  Elizabeth 
Bowen,  of  Pomeroy,  Ohio,  in  July,  1873.  Three 
children  have  blessed  their  union.  Mining  has  been 
the  sole  business  of  Mr.  Bailey  during  his  long  resi- 
dence in  the  State.  He  is  a  practical  and  thorough 
man,  with  great  energy  and  perseverance. 


HENRY  J.  DIGGLES 

Was  born  at  Taunton,  Massachusetts,  September  11, 
1835.  He  was  the  son  of  Jonas  and  Marietta 
(Alden)  Diggles,  who  were  married  at  Taunton. 
His  father  was  an  Englishman  by  birth,  and  his 
mother  a  native  of  Plymouth,  belonging  to  the  fam- 
ily of  Aldens  of  revolutionary  fame.  Henry  has  an 
elder  brother,  James  A.  Diggles,  who  now  resides  at 
Etna.  While  Henry  was  five  years  old  his  parents 
removed  to  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  where  for  seven 
years  he  lived  with  his  father,  who  was  a  manufac- 
turer of  clothing.  Here  he  attended  the  superior 
public  schools  of  that  city.  When  he  was  twelve 
years  old  his  parents  again  changed  their  residence 
to  New  Sharon,  Franklin  county,  Maine,  and  Henry 
lived  there  till  he  was  eighteen,  when  he  and  his 
brother  started  for  California  via  the  Isthmus  on 
the  boat  Illinois  from  New  York,  and  the  Califor- 
nia on  the  Pacific  side.  At  that  time  the  building 
of  the  Panama  railroad  was  just  begun  and  1,000 
men  went  down  on  the  same  boat  with  them.  For 
several  years  the  Diggles  brothers  engaged  in  min- 
ing, first  on  the  North  Yuba  and  latterly  near 
Yreka.  After  making  a  stake  they  gave  up  mining 
and  went  to  Fort  Jones,  building  the  first  store  in 
the  town  on  the  site  of  the  present  Odd  Fellows 
hall,  where  they  did  a  fine  business.  In  18G1  they 
built  the  brick  block,  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Henry 
Diggles.  This  was  the  first  brick  structure  in  the 
valley.  Its  size  is  33x100  feet,  with  a  warehouse 
30x100  feet.  In  1864  the  brothers  dissolved  part- 
nership, Henry  J.  continuing  the  business   alone, 


which  in  its  palmy  days  amounted  as  high  as  si  25,- 
000  per  annum.  In  companv  with  "others  Mr. 
Diggles  erected  the  steam  flouring  mills  now  owned 
by  Mr.  Reynolds,  which  was  not  a  paying  venture. 
For  many  years  this  was  the  principal  point  of  sup- 
ply for  the  entire  valley  and  the  mining  districts 
adjoining.  Mr.  Diggles  was  married  October  1G, 
1862  to  Miss  Charlotte  S.  Pattison,  daughter  of  Silas 
and  Harriett  Pattison,  a  native  of  Plymouth, 
Wayne  county,  Michigan,  and  came  to  California 
when  she  was  but  nine  years  old.  By  this  union 
there  are  seven  children,  as  follows: — Henry  E., 
born  September  13,  1863  ;  Lottie  Alden,  born 
August  4,  1865;  Marietta  E„  September  11,  1867; 
Grace  P.,  October  26,  1869;  James  A.,  August  10, 
1871;  Harriett  A.,  June  29,  1873;  Robert  Newton, 
June  10,  1875.  All  are  living  at  home  with  then- 
parents.  Mr.  Diggles  has  a  common  school  educa- 
tion, but  might  have  availed  himself  of  the  benefits 
of  a  collegiate  course,  had  he  not  been  so  eager  to 
enter  active  life  and  business.  He  has  done  more 
than  any  other  man  in  the  valley  to  build  up 
churches,  schools  and  other  public  interests  of  the 
community.  He  is  a  member  of  North  Star  Lodge, 
No.  96,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  ;  Cyrus  Chapter 
No.  15,  at  Yreka  ;  Fort  Jones  Lodge,  No.  115,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows;  and  Scott  Valley 
Encampment,  No.  39.  He  has  held  all  the  offices  in 
the  Blue  lodge  and  the  Odd  Fellows ;  has  represent- 
ed the  Masonic  fraternity  in  the  grand  lodge  five 
consecutive  years  ;  on  several  occasions  has  also 
represented  the  Odd  Fellows  in  their  grand  lodge, 
and  has  been  to  the  grand  encampment.  Mr. 
Diggles  is  a  Protestant  in  religion  and  a  Republican 
in  politics.  He  takes  a  lively  interest  always  in  all 
matters  pertaining  to  the  public  good  and  the  wel- 
fare of  his  fellow-man. 


REMEMBRANCE  HUGHES  CAMPBELL. 

This  gentleman  was  born  in  Mount  Pleasant, 
Iowa,  in  1839,  his  parents,  William  and  Elizabeth 
(Hughes)  Campbell,  having  moved  thither  from 
Greene  county,  Pennsylvania,  that  same  year.  In 
the  spring  of  1850  his  father  came  to  California, 
and  returned  home  in  1852.  The  next  year  he 
took  his  family  across  the  plains,  reaching  California 
in  August,  1853.  He  purchased  one  of  the  few 
ranches  in  Nevada  county  for  $5,000,  three  miles 
north  of  Nevada  City.  This  was  on  a  stream  on 
which  was  soon  discovered  rich  diggings,  and  in  a 
short  space  of  time  the  miners  destroyed  the  ranch, 
and  Mr.  Campbell  had  to  look  elsewhere  for  some- 
thing to  support  his  family  of  six  small  children. 
He  erected  a  saw-mill,  in  which  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  being  the  oldest  child,  assisted  in  earning  a 
living  for  the  family.  He  worked  thus  until  1859, 
when  his  father  sold  his  property  and  soon  after 
moved  to  Cacheville,  Yolo  county,  where  the  father 
and  mother  still  live,  in  the  enjoyment  of  good 
health,  the  children  being  all  grown  up  and  mar- 
ried. It  was  in  1859  that  the  Comstock  excite- 
ment sprang  up  and  R.  H.  Campbell,  then  twenty 
years  of  age,  joined  the  mob  of  silver-hunters  from 
Nevada  county,  and  spent  the  summer  in  Carson 
City.     Believing,  with  the  majority,  that  the  mines 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


■were  a  failure,  he  returned  to  Nevada  county  in 
the  fall,  and  spent  the  next  two  years  there  and  in 
Yolo  county.  In  the  spring  of  1862  he  started  for 
the  Cariboo  mines,  and  went  as  far  as  Lillooet,  on 
Fraser  river,  where  he  spent  the  summer,  retui'ning 
to  Yolo  county  in  the  fall.  In  the  spring  of  1863 
he  married  Miss  Lizzie  Neel.  He  then  clerked  in 
a  store  in  Cacheville  one  year,  and  in  May,  1864, 
moved  to  Red  Bluff  and  entered  into  mercantile 
business  with  B.  Neel.  In  1866  Mr.  Neel  retired, 
and  S.  F.  Frank  became  associated  with  Mr.  Camp- 
bell. In  1868,  L.  S.  Welton  joined  them,  forming 
the  firm  of  Frank,  Campbell  &  Welton.  For  sev- 
eral years  this  firm  enjoyed  an  extensive  trade 
through  northern  California  and  southern  Oregon, 
being  also  heavy  purchasers  of  wool  and  grain. 
They  were  large  shippers  of  sugar-pine  lumber, 
manufactured  in  the  eastern  portions  of  Tehama 
and  Shasta  counties.  The  increased  demand  for 
this  superior  quality  of  lumber  led  Mr.  Campbell  to 
exert  himself  to  increase  their  facilities.  He  induced 
some  San  Francisco  capitalists  to  associate  them- 
selves with  the  firm  in  constructing  a  V  flume, 
then  a  new  invention,  from  the  lumber  region  to  a 
shipping  point.  A  route  was  surveyed,  terminating 
on  the  Sacramento,  twelve  miles  above  Red  Bluff. 
Water  rights  and  rights  of  way  were  secured,  and 
about  nine  thousand  acres  of  timber  land  located, 
all  under  the  active  superintendence  of  Mr.  Camp- 
bell. In  the  spring  of  1873  work  was  begun,  and 
in  June,  1874,  the  flume  was  completed  to  the 
river,  a  distance  of  thirty  miles.  Another  party 
had  commenced  a  pai'allel  flume,  which  this  com- 
pany purchased  and  joined  to  the  first  one.  They 
then  had  forty-five  miles  of  flume,  four  saw-mills, 
with  a  total  capacity  of  one  hundred  thousand  feet 
per  day,  a  telegraph  line  from  Red  Bluff  to  the 
mills,  fifty  miles  long,  large  planing  mill  and  factory 
in  Red  Bluff,  yards,  side-track,  etc.  At  the  mills 
they  employed  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  one 
hundred  oxen,  and  twenty-five  horses  and  mules 
during  the  summer,  and  the  pay-roll  was  $16,000 
per  month.  The  yearly  cut  was  nearly  ten  million 
feet,  half  of  which  was  sent  to  San  Francisco  to 
sash  factories,  and  the  balance  sold  in  Tehama, 
Shasta  and  Colusa  counties.  In  the  spring  of  1875 
Frank.  Campbell  &  Welton  became  sole  proprie- 
tors of  this  lumber  business,  which  was  called  the 
Blue  Ridge  Flume  and  Lumber  Company,  and  was 
superintended  by  Mr.  Campbell.  They  shipped  that 
season  350  carloads  of  lumber,  besides  rafting  as 
much  more  down  the  river  and  making  large  yard 
sales.  The  mercantile  business,  under  charge  of 
Mr.  Welton,  was  also  large,  and  they  shipped  the 
same  year  about  one  million  pounds  of  wool.  In 
February,  1876,  they  sold  all  their  lumber  interests 
to  a  heavy  firm  of  capitalists,  known  as  the  Sierra 
Flume  and  Lumber  Company,  for  $275,000.  This 
corporation  also  purchased  all  other  lumber  mills 
and  property  in  Tehama  and  Butte  counties.  Mr. 
Campbell  was  employed  .as  superintendent  during 
the  season  of  1876,  but  not  being  content  with  a 
good  salary  he  left  them  and  became  interested  in 
the  Afterthought  mine  in  Shasta  county.  He 
superintended  this  for  two  years,  and  after  spending 
over  $150,000  on  its  refractory  ore,  the  mine  was 
shut  down  in  the  fall  of  1879.     On   the  sixth  of 


December  of  that  year  a  fire  in  Red  Bluff  destroyed 
his  residence,  and  he  determined  to  change  his  base 
of  operations.  He  formed  a  partnership  with  Alex- 
ander Parker,  of  this  county,  and  in  the  summer  of 
1880  erected  the  brick  building  in  Etna,  now  occu- 
pied as  a  general  store  by  Parker,  Campbell  &  Co. 
The  business  is  managed  by  Mr.  Campbell,  and  they 
carry  a  stock  of  general  merchandise,  farming  and 
mining  machinery  valued  at  from  $25,000  to  $40,000. 
Mr.  Campbell's  family  consists  of  Mary  Ella,  born 
in  Yolo  county,  February  24,  1864;  Harry  Neel, 
born  at  Red  Bluff,  May  12,  1871;  Emma  Louise, 
born  January  26,  1874. 


MYRON  KNOTLY  THOMAS. 

Daniel  Thomas,  grandfather  of  Myron,  was  born 
August  17, 1774,  and  died  at  Battle  Creek,  Michigan, 
May  1,  1836.  When  twenty  years  of  age  he  was 
employed  on  a  vessel  on  the  Pacific  coast  for  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company.  The  father  of  Myron,  A. 
R.  Thomas,  was  born  at  Schenectady,  New  York, 
February  3,  1812,  and  died  at  Lawler,  Iowa,  Janu- 
ary 15,  1875.  Myron's  mother  was  a  Goddard,  and 
was  born  at  Detroit,  Michigan,  in  1814,  and  died  in 
Green  county,  Wisconsin,  in  1859.  Her  father  and 
mother  are  still  living  at  Fort  Atkinson,  Iowa,  at 
the  ages  of  ninety-seven  and  eighty-three  years. 
The  old  gentleman  was  born  in  Massachusetts, 
served  as  a  captain  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  was  in 
the  memorable  battle  of  Plattsburg.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A. 
R.  Thomas  were  married  at  Battle  Creek,  Michigan, 
in  1833,  where  Myron  K.  was  born  May  15,  1835. 
The  other  children  were:  Daniel  D.,  residing  at 
French  Bar,  California;  Angeline,  now  Mrs.  Wil- 
liam M.  Morton,  residing  at  Lawler,  Iowa;  Angelia, 
now  Mrs.  Tubbs,  residing  at  North  McGregor,  Iowa; 
Josephine,  died  in  infancy;  Emma,  now  Mrs. 
Sprague,  residing  at  Caledonia,  Minnesota ;  Hannah, 
now  Mrs.  Lovejoy,  residing  at  Lawler,  Iowa ;  Henry, 
died  in  infancy ;  Ferdinand,  now  farming  at  Fort 
Atkinson,  Iowa;  William  Aranthus,  now  editing  a 
paper  in  Osage,  Iowa.  When  eleven  years  of  age 
the  subject  of  our  sketch  moved  with  his  parents 
to  Rockford,  Illinois,  and  two  years  later  to  Green 
county,  Wisconsin.  In  January,  1852,  he  started 
for  California  across  the  plains,  with  his  uncle, 
Argalius  Thomas,  and  arrived  in  Oregon  City  on 
the  fifteenth  of  November.  He  engaged  in  farm- 
ing  with  his  uncle,  Lorenzo  L.  Thomas,  near  Salem, 
for  two  years,  and  then  came  to  his  present  home 
on  Lytle  flat,  on  Scott  river,  below  Scott  Bar. 
Before  settling  permanently  in  his  present  home,  in 
1858,  he  ranched  in  Sciad  valley  in  1854;  mined 
below  Hamburg  in  1855;  at  old  Scott  Bar  in  1856, 
and  at  Happy  Camp  and  Fort  Goff  in  1857.  He  is 
mining  very  successfully  in  the  bed  of  Scott  river, 
the  operations  being  well  portrayed  in  one  of  our 
illustrations.  In  1880  he  drifted  under  his  resi- 
dence with  good  success.  His  wife,  Alvira  Chand- 
ler Tyler,  was  born  at  Griggsville,  Pike  county,  Illi- 
nois, October  1,  1844.  They  have  a  family  of  two 
children:  Lyman  Gideon,  born  November  7,  1866, 
at  Griggsville,  Pike  county,  Illinois,  and  Edgar, 
born  October  31,  1872,  at  Lytle  Flat,  Siskiyou 
county,  California.  One  daughter,  Hattie,  born 
April  9,  1871,  died  the  following  September. 


yfjFWfll 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


193 


potatoes  raised  in  this  county  is  so  superior  to  those 
of  the  Sacramento  valley  that  cheap  transportation 
by  rail  ought  to  make  the  raising  of  potatoes  a  large 
and  profitable  industry. 

The  stock  and  dairy  business  is  also  a  leading  one, 
and  with  cheaper  transportation  would  be  largely 
increased,  especially  the  dairy  branch.  The  great 
grazing  section  is  in  the  eastern  end  of  the  county, 
though  many  horses  and  cattle  are  raised  in  both 
Scott  and  Shasta  valleys.  Butter  and  cheese,  the 
latter  chiefly  the  product  of  Scott  valley,  are  of 
most  excellent  quality. 

In  the  spring  of  1854,  C.  H.  Pyle  brought  over 
six  hundred  fruit  trees  to  the  county  from  Oregon. 
Wm.  Davidson  and  D.  H.  Lowry  each  purchased  a 
number  for  an  orchard,  and  the  balance  were  never 
set  out.  Since  then  fruit  has  become  plentiful  and 
of  that  excellent  quality  and  flavor  only  to  be 
found,  in  California,  in  the  mountains. 


owned  by  Shep- 
Schlicht's  mills, 
at    Fort    Jones, 


GRIST-MILLS. 

The  old  Lafayette,  or  Shores'  mill,  was  the  first 
one  built  in  the  county  for  flouring  purposes.  It 
was  erected  in  Quartz  valley  in  1853,  and  was  soon 
followed  by  the  Etna  mills  at  old  Etna.  In  1855, 
Charles  C.  Schlicht  built  the  mill  on  Shasta  river, 
which  he  still  owns,  and  in  1856  the  Rough  and 
Ready  mills  at  Etna  were  built.  The  same  year 
Demming  Brothers,  and  others,  built  a  steam  grist 
mill  on  Oregon  street,  in  Yreka,  which  was  torn 
down  and  taken  to  Etna  in  1866,  and  now  forms 
the  mill  at  that  place.  A  mill  was  built  at  Fort 
Jones  in  1866.  There  are  row  in  the  county 
six  grist-mills  with  ten  pairs  of  buhrs,  the  Little 
Shasta  mills,  near  Table  Rock, 
arcl,  Terwilliger  &  Walbridge; 
on  Shasta  river;  Farmers'  mill 
owned  by  J.  S.  Reynolds;  Phoenix  mill  by  Campfe 
Co.  (the  old  Lafayette),  in  Quartz  valley;  the 
Rough  and  Ready  mill,  at  Etna;  the  old  mill  at 
Butteville.  The  first  five  are  being  operated,  and 
make  about  9,000  barrels  of  flour  per  annum. 

SAW-MILLS. 

The  lumbering  business  has  been  quite  an  exten- 
sive one  in  the  minins-  regions.  Aside  from  the 
lumber  required  for  building  purposes,  a  great  deal 
of  timber  was  used  in  mining.  It  is  said  that  at 
Scott  Bar  there  is  enough  timber  under  the  ground 
to  construct  a  number  of  towns  like  the  one  on  top. 
Several  mills  were  built  in  1852,  and  in  1860  there 
were  thirty  in  the  count)'.  There  are  now  eleven 
mills  in  the  county  that  saw  3,500,000  feet  of  lumber 
annually.  These  mills  are  owned  and  situated  as 
follows: — John  Cleland,  on  Little  Shasta;  George 
Deter,  on  Little  Shasta ;  Maxwell,  on  head-waters  of 
the  Sacramento;  Dobkins,  on  head-waters  of  the 
Sacramento;  Newton  Lamb,  between  Greenhorn  and 
Cherry  creeks;  Charles  E.  Owen  &  Son,  on  Hamblin 
gulch,  near  Fort  Jones;  M.  B.  Pittman,  at  Etna; 
Festus  Payne,  on  French  creek;  J.  B.  Leduc,  at  Scott 
Bar,  and  one  on  Doggett  creek,  near  Oak  Bar ;  E. 
Lee,  on  Kidder  creek ;  John  Hilt,  on  Cottonwood 
creek. 

BREWERIES   AND   DISTILLERY. 

There  are  three  good  breweries  in  the  county,  which 
make  an  excellent   quality   of   beer.     The  two  at 

24 


Yreka  are  institutions  of  a  long  standing  there,  and 
are  operated  by  two  of  its  foremost  citizens,  Charles 
Iunker  and  Charles  Peters.  The  one  at  Etna  is 
owned  by  Charles  Kappler.  These  breweries  make 
about  30,000  gallons  of  beer  per  annum. 

A  distillery  was  erected  at  old  Etna  in  1856  by 
the  Davidson  Brothers,  and  was  operated  by  them 
for  ten  years,  and  then  abandoned.  At  the  Forest 
House,  Short  manufactures  annually  about  1,200 
gallons  of  wine  and  500  of  brandy.  He  also  dries 
apples,  peaches,  plums,  potatoes,  corn,  and  tomatoes. 
by  evaporation,  a  process  which  leaves  the  article 
pure  and  white,  far  superior  to  the  ordinai-y  dried 
fruit.  He  has  12,000  fruit  trees  and  2,000  grape- 
vines. 

FOUNDRY  AND  MACHINE  SHOPS. 

The  first  shop  of  this  character  was  erected  in 
Yreka  in  an  early  day,  and  was  burned  down  in  the 
summer  of  1864.  It  was  called  the  Yreka  Iron 
Foundry,  and  was  rebuilt  by  the  proprietor,  Mr. 
Shepard.  The  Siskiyou  Iron  Works,  on  the  corner 
of  Lane  and  Second  streets,  Yreka,  were  opened  in 
March,  1870,  by  Messrs.  Lawton  &  Skinner.  They 
were  destroyed  in  the  great  fire  of  1871,  and  rebuilt. 
They  were  again  totally  destroyed  by  fire  on  Satur- 
day afternoon,  June  25,  1881,  and  are  now  in  pro- 
cess of  rebuilding.  The  new  structure  is  of  brick, 
and  the  works,  when  completed,  will  be  far  superior 
to  those  destroyed. 

FACTORIES. 

The  wagon  and  furniture  factory  of  Frantz  & 
Wallis,  at  Etna,  was  built  by  Louis  Fafa,  and  came 
into  the  possession  of  F.  W.  Frantz  and  Albert 
Wallis  in  1877.  It  is  well  supplied  with  machinery 
for  the  manufacture  of  mouldings,  sash,  doors,  and 
blinds,  and  the  turning  of  various  objects.  Jackson 
Brothers  of  Yreka  also  have  facilities  for  manufactur- 
ing articles  of  furniture,  and  for  doing  nearly  all 
kinds  of  wood  work.  The  pail  and  tub  factory 
at  Strawberry  valley,  owned  by  Gilbert  Lanphier,  is 
another  institution  of  the  county. 

There  are  in  every  town  blacksmith  and  wagon 
shops,  and  in  Yreka  are  the  repair  shops  for  the 
stage  company. 

KING'S    SALT    WORKS    AND   ARTESIAN    WELL. 

One  of  the  peculiar  industries  of  the  county  is 
the  manufacture  of  salt  from  water  flowing  from 
an  artesian  well.  This  is  an  enterprise  conducted 
by  F.  J.  King,  on  his  place  near  Shasta  river.  He 
has  a  well  409  feet  deep,  that  flows  144,000  gallons 
of  salt  water  every  twenty-four  hours.  The  con- 
tractors for  the  work  were  Moses  &  Nesbitt,  who 
were  engaged  upon  it  several  months.  At  a 
depth  of  107  feet  they  came  to  quicksand  and 
gravel,  which  necessitated  the  sinking  of  a  pipe- 
casing.  This  was  found  too  light,  and  a  new  well 
was  started  a  short  distance  away,  with  heavier 
pipe,  and  completed.  The  following  is  a  record  of 
the  observations  and  indications  as  the  work  pro- 
gressed, with  the  character  of  strata  encountered: — 

Six  feet  of  alluvial  soil  strongly  impregnated 
with  alkali,  and  supporting  a  rich  growth  of  salt 
grass. 

Sixty-three  feet  of  clay  and  tine  gravel,  some- 
what cemented. 


194 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


Seven  feet  of  boulders,  hard,  and  difficult  to  pass. 

Thirty-one  feet  of  hard,  cemented  clay. 

Eleven  feet  of  quicksand  and  gravel,  carrying 
water  at  a  depth  of  one  hundred  and  seven  feet, 
which  flowed  over  the  pipe.  This  was  extremely 
difficult  to  pass,  and  took  four  weeks. 

Two  hundred  and  ninety-one  feet  of  sand -rock, 
in  which,  at  the  depth  of  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
five  and  three  hundred  and  seventeen  feet,  fossil 
marine  shells  were  brought  up.  Water,  with  a 
daily  flow  of  thirty  thousand  gallons,  was  found  at 
a  depth  of  three  hundred  and  fifty -seven  feet,  and 
flowed  five  feet  above  the  surface.  The  third  water 
was  struck  at  three  hundred  and  eighty-four  feet, 
and  flowed  one  hundred  and  forty  thousand  gallons 
per  day.  Considerable  gas  came  up,  and  the  water 
was  impregnated  with  salt.  At  four  hundred  and 
nine  feet  the  fourth  water  was  found,  rising  in 
pipes  thirty  feet  above  the  surface.  The  well  was 
continued  to  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  without 
advantage. 

With  a  system  of  shallow  reservoirs  for  evapo- 
ration, brush  heaps  for  condensing,  and  steam-vats 
for  boiling,  Mr.  King  extracts  the  saline  properties 
from  the  water,  and  manufactures  salt,  both  for  the 
table  and  for  stock  and  dairy  purposes. 


MINING. 


The  mining  industry  was  the  first  and  only  one 
in  these  mountains.  By  it  was  the  country  devel- 
oped, and  for  its  sustenance  were  the  farms  taken 
up  and  cultivated.  It  is  still  the  leading  industry, 
and  the  mineral  wealth  of  the  county  is  its  greatest 
resource,  though  agriculture  has  made  great  strides 
in  the  past  twenty  years. 

To  go  into  a  detailed  history  of  the  mining  opera- 
tions that  have  been  carried  on,  is  beyond  the 
province  of  this  work,  if,  indeed,  it  can  be  done  at 
all.  They  have  embraced  all  classes  of  operations 
in  placer,  from  the  pan  to  the  hydraulic  giant;  in 
quartz,  from  a  hand  mortar  to  a  large  quartz  mill. 
The  first  quartz  prospecting  was  done  in  1851,  and 
the  next  year  there  was  considerable  quartz  excite- 
ment on  Humbug  and  in  Scott  valley,  but  the  high 
price  of  labor  and  materials,  with  the  almost  impos- 
sibility of  getting  machinery,  caused  it  to  die  out. 
In  1858  another  excitement  sprang  up,  and  again  in 
1862.  On  Christmas-day  of  that  year,  the  North 
Star  lead  was  discovered.  Report  of  the  discovery, 
and  that  six  dollars  had  been  worked  out  of  eight 
pounds  of  rock  in  a  hand  mortar,  reached  Humbug 
that  night  during  the  progress  of  a  Christmas  ball. 
The  ball-room  was  deserted,  and  the  gray  dawn  of 
morning  found  many  a  gay  reveler  skirmishing 
about  the  hills  in  search  of  a  quartz  ledge  and  a 
fortune.  Most  of  them  found  neither.  They  were 
lucky.  A  few  found  ledges.  They  were  unlucky. 
A  poor  quartz  ledge  is  an  expensive  luxury.  Quartz 
mining  has  turned  out  to  be  an  unlucky  venture 
for  many,  while  a  few  have  succeeded.  Recent 
developments  give  grounds  for  hope  that  several 
good  quartz  ledges  have  been  discovered  and  will  be 
worked  to  advantage  to  the  owners  and  the  county. 

The  mining  claims  of  the  county  are  assessed  for 
the  current  year  at  $177,960,  and  the  improvements 
on  them  at  $62,950. 


The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  all  mining 
operations  of  importance  in  progress  in  the  county : — 

GREENHORN. 

Portuguese,  sluice  claim. 
Chinese,  hydraulic,  Ying  &  Co. 
Tesh  &  Clark,  drift  claim. 
Stewart  &  Reese,  sluice  claim. 
Chinese,  hydraulic,  Tin  &  Co. 
Several  Chinese  sluice  claims,  and  a  few  others  on 
a  small  scale. 

TREKA   FLATS. 

Simon  Contini,  sluice  claim. 

Pellet  &  Truitt,  hydraulic  claim. 

Weymeier  claim,  by  Chinamen. 

Long  claim  in  Humbug  gulch,  by  Chinamen. 

John  Knapp,  drift  claim. 

Gus.  Hahn,  drift  claim. 

Nehemiah  Payne,  small  claim. 

Hop  Wau  &  Co.,  or  China  hydraulic. 

Several  small  claims  not  worked. 

HAWKINSVILLE. 

Yreka  Creek  Mining  Company,  working  in  the 
bed  of  the  creek  with  a  hydraulic  elevator. 

Ah  Toy  &  Co.,  wheelbarrow  claim. 

William  Booth  claim,  below  the  Yreka  Creek 
Mining  Company,  only  a  part  being  worked  by 
Chinese. 

One  Chinese  and  one  Portuguese  company  in  Long 
gulch,  also  a  quartz  ledge  being  prospected  by  A. 
V.  Burns. 

John  DeSoza  &  Co.,  and  three  Chinese  companies 
in  Canal  gulch. 

Manuel  Quadras  &  Co.,  and  John  Josephs  &  Co., 
in  Rocky  gulch. 

Joseph  Cora  &  Co.,  John  Demello  &  Co.,  Enos  Cas- 
tro &  Co.,  Caetano  Alves  &  Co.,  Thomas  Green- 
wood, Manuel  S.  Dutra  &  Co.,  on  the  Hawkinsviile 
flats. 

HUMBUG. 

A  dozen  Chinese  claims,  a  few  small  claims  owned 
by  white  men,  and  the  Spengler  claim,  embracing 
thirty-eight  acres  of  patented  land,  and  owned  by 
the  Lower  Humbug  Fluming  Company. 

Siskiyou  quartz  mine,  on  the  middle  fork,  owned 
by  J.  S.  Cleland,  H.  B.  Warren,  Thomas  Orr,  Calvin 
Edgerton,  and  other  Yreka  parties. 

Eliza  ledge,  formerly  worked  by  D.  N.  Lash,  with 
a  fifteen-stamp  mill. 

C  C.  Cornish  ledge,  on  north  fork. 

Not  much  quartz  prospecting  here  now. 

LITTLE   HUMBUG. 

Fabricius  &  Co.,  John  Shedron  &  Co.,  J.  C.  Clim- 
per  &  Co.,  Dusel  &  Wiley,  and  John  Pearson,  placer 
claims. 

COTTONWOOD. 

S.  W.  Clary,  patented  claim  in  Rocky  gulch,  two 
miles  west  of  the  town. 

Brickhouse  &  Hilt,  one-half  mile  southeast  of 
town. 

Several  small  claims,  and  a  few  Chinamen  on  the 
creek  and  flats. 

A  few  idle  quartz  ledges  and  a  small  mill. 

BARK HOUSE   CREEK. 

Lange  &  Bros.,  hydraulic  claim,  250  feet  pressure. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


10." 


m'kinney  creek. 

John  Spinner  and  H.  H.  C.  Jensen,  Polly  &  Price, 
Jackson  &  Co. 

BEAVER,  HUNGRY,  AND  GROUSE  CREEKS. 

About  forty  Chinamen  at  work. 
Cinnabar  ledges  not  worked. 

KLAMATH   RIVER. 

Two  miles  above  Virginia  Bar  is  the  Lime  Gulch 
company,  composed  of  A.  Smith,  B.  Smith,  A.  E. 
Raynes,  and  J.  C.  Burgess. 

On  Virginia  Bar,  William  Gibson,  Francis  Riley, 
William  Pullen,  and  some  Kanakas. 

Centennial  claim  on  Virginia  Bar,  wing  dam,  A. 
Smith,  J.  A.  Sharp,  Christopher  Aaroe,  August 
Glatt,  and  William  N.  Gott. 

Fort  Jones  company,  Frank  Shadduck  and  others. 

P.  Mott  &  Co.,  on  Manzanita  Bar. 

A  Portuguese  company  below  Rocky  point. 

Empire  Quartz  mine  on  Empire  creek,  owned  by 
Charles  Linker,  Charles  Peters,  and  other  German 
citizens  of  Yreka. 

George  Raymond  &  Co.,  at  Oak  Bar. 

Poverty  Point  Drift  mine,  below  Oak  Bar,  by 
Parker  &  Barton. 

Between  Oak  Bar  and  mouth  of  Scott  river,  T.  D. 
Austin  &  Co.,  William  Kittlewood  &  Co.,  Weekly, 
Everill  &  Co.,  and  several  others  have  wing  dams. 

At  Junction  Bar  is  a  Chinese  company. 

At  Hamburg  Bar,  McCreary,  Martin  &  Co.,  and 
McCreary  Brothers,  each  have  drift  claims. 

At  Walker  Bar  are  two  Chinese  companies,  and 
one  on  the  opposite  bank. 

At  Sciad,  Wood  &  Bailey  are  opening  a  large 
hydraulic  claim.  John  C.  Wood  has  a  hydraulic 
mine  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek. 

At  Cottage  Grove,  William  Elliott  &  Bro.  have  a 
hydraulic  claim. 

E.  C.  Goodwin  on  Milliken  Bar. 

Chinese  claim  on  Sandy  Bar. 

Thomas  Dobbins,  below  Sandy  Bar. 

O.  Rood,  hydraulic,  eight  miles  below  Cottage 
Grove. 

Several  small  claims  below  Rood,  and  then  a  large 
one  by  E.  Stenshaw. 

Brundine  &  Halberson,  hydraulic,  on  Horseshoe 
bend. 

George  Teneyck,  hydraulic,  two  miles  above  the 
mouth  of  Salmon  river. 

SCOTT   RIVER. 

At  Simonville,  Andrews,  Baxter  &  Co.,  and  Joseph 
Ramus. 

At  Whiting  Hill,  Peter  Whiting. 

M.  K.  Thomas  is  working  a  good  claim  in  the  river ; 
also  several  others  on  a  small  scale. 

At  Scott  Bar,  Hancock  claim  by  Smith  &  Leduc; 
Mountain  View  claim  by  George  Smith;  both 
hydraulic. 

On  the  opposite  side  are  the  hydraulic  claims  of 
Marfield  &  Co.,  Green  &  Holmes,  Williams  &  Ryan, 
Walter  Borland,  and  Reynolds  <fe  Jacobs. 

ORO    FINO. 

John  Young,  and  Wright  &  Fletcher;  both 
hydraulic. 

Lindsay  quartz  ledge. 


R.  A.  Wright  &  Co.,  quartz  mill. 
Considerable  quartz  prospecting. 

QUARTZ   VALLEY. 

A.  M.  Johnson  owns  a  quartz  ledge  and  mill, 
several  ditches,  and  large  hydraulic  claims. 

Allen  Brothers,  and  George  Tompkins,  quartz 
ledges. 

F.  Turk,  quartz  ledge  and  mill. 

Pioneer  placer  claim,  by  Chinese. 

Considerable  quartz  prospecting. 

PATTERSON    CREEK. 

Two  sluice  claims  by  Crawford  &  Co.,  and  a  Por- 
tuguese company. 

RATTLESNAKE   CREEK. 

Three  Chinese  companies. 
Jesse  Franklin,  quartz  ledge. 

INDIAN    CREEK. 

John  Vincent,  quartz  mill. 
Adam  Sell  and  Charles  Owen. 
John  Stewart  &  Co.,  in  White's  gulch;  hydraulic. 
Starr  hydraulic  claim  in  French  gulch. 
Brown,  Bailey  &  Bowles,  quartz  ledge. 
T.  B.  Howell,  above  Grizzly  gulch. 
Along  the  creek  are  a  large  number  of  Chinamen 
at  work. 

M'ADAMS   CREEK. 

Drift  claims  on  this  creek  are  owned  by  George 
Smith  &  Co.  (Steamboat  claim),  Lincoln  &  Co., 
Adam  Sell,  Hart  &  Co.  (Oak  Grove  claim),  Thomas 
Thomas,  H.  B.  Mathewson  (Hardscrabble  claim), 
Duncan  Cameron  and  B.  Aldrich,  and  a  large  num- 
ber of  Chinese. 

On  Cherry  creek  are  two  Portuguese  companies. 

On  Deadwood  creek  there  is  one  Chinese  claim, 
and  some  quartz  prospecting. 

SOUTH   FORK   OF   SCOTT   RIVER. 

Montezuma,  hydraulic,  by  Alexander  Parker, 
patented,  large  flumes. 

Last  Chance,  hydraulic,  by  Alexander  Parker  and 
others. 

Mitchell  &  Co.,  drifting. 

Two  Chinese  claims  near  the  mouth  of  Boulder 
creek. 

John  Foche,  sluicing. 

Kangaroo  gulch,  on  east  fork,  R.  C.  Crawford, 
sluicing. 

Above  Foche,  several  Chinese  companies. 

Above  French  flat,  Pierson  &  Prindeville,  and 
Horn  &  Co. 

Old  Chaingang  claim,  by  F.  Helmith. 

At  mouth  of  Fox  creek,  ABC  company,  hy- 
draulic. 

Up  Fox  creek,  M.  Messner,  and  Lowering  &  Co., 
drift  claims.  Above  these,  Chinese  companies. 
Quartz  prospecting  near  the  creek. 

Above  mouth  of  Fox  creek  are  a  Chinese  com- 
pany, and  Green  &  Co.;  at  Gasburg  Daniel  Bickford 
&Co. 

On  Jackson  creek,  Charles  Ross. 

SALMON    1UVER. 

Two  Chinese  claims  near  the  mouth. 
James  Danielson,  below  Butler's  flat. 


196 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


Louis  Williams,  below  Oliver's  flat. 

George  Hammil  and  Henry  Bloomer,  at  Oliver's 
flat,  hydraulic. 

Several  Chinese  claims  at  the  flat,  one  of  them 
hydraulic. 

George  McNeal,  hydraulic,   above  the  flat. 

Timothy   Haley,  small  claim. 

Two  Chinese  companies,  one  of  them  at  the  forks 
with  hydraulic. 

NORTH  FORK  OF  SALMON. 

E.  L.  Shumway  &  Brother,  on  Smashpipe  Bar, 
and  at  the  mouth  of  Murderers'  gulch. 

S.  L.  Finley,  at  Clapboard  Bar,  above  Sawyer's 
Bar,  derrick  claim. 

Kuchenbach  &  Meyers,  drift  claim,  below  Saw- 
yer's Bar,  on  Paradise  flat. 

Thomas  Hickey,  two  miles  below  Sawyer's  Bar. 

Henry  Geichen,  below  Hickey. 

G.  Mohr,  at  Red  Hill,  four  miles  below  Sawj'er's 
Bar. 

A.  Ahlgrun  &  Co.,  hydraulic,  below  Little  North 
Fork. 

Several  small  companies  to  Shumway's,  near  the 
mouth. 

G.  W.  Bigelow,  sluicing,  above  Eddy's  gulch. 

Several  small  claims  on  Russian  creek. 

SOUTH   FORK   OF   SALMON. 

Three  China  companies  up  to  Nicholas  Kasch's, 
below  the  mouth  of  Know-Nothing  creek.  Plenty 
of  ground  here,  but  a  scarcity  of  water. 

J.  P.  Fifield,  hydraulic,  at  Red  Hill. 

On  Know-Nothing  creek  several  Chinese. 

At  mouth  of  Methodist  creek,  A.  S.  Orcutt, 
hydraulic. 

Cash  quartz  ledge,  owned  by  the  Black  Bear 
Company,  and  a  small  mill. 

On  Matthews  creek,  one  China  company, hydraulic. 

At  Cecilville,  George  Sightman,  Thomas  &  Gillis, 
and  several  Chinese. 

Up  the  east  fork  are  -W.  H.  George,  sluice,  Brown 
&  George,  hydraulic,  George  Wahlford,  sluice,  and 
a  number  of  Chinese  claims. 

Above  the  east  fork  are  several  Chinese  com- 
panies near  Petersburg;  Bennett  &  Miller,  hydraulic, 
and  a  China  claim  on  Big  bend. 

Between  Coffee  creek  and  Salmon  river,  Abram 
Brothers  have  two  claims. 

BETWEEN  FORKS  OF  SALMON. 

Klamath  mill  and  mine,  by  John  Daggett,  at 
head  of  Eddy's  gulch,  five  miles  east  of  Sawver's 
Bar. 

Black  Bear  mill  and  mine,  on  Black  Bear  creek, 
seven  miles  northeast  of  Sawyer's  Bar.  Owned  in 
San  Francisco. 

Last  Chance  quartz  mine  and  mill,  east  of  Saw- 
yer's Bar,  owned  by  John  English,  Patrick  Doran, 
and  John  Grant. 

Uncle  Sam  mill  and  mine,  southeast  of  Sawyer's 
Bar,  owned  by  S.  R.  and  Edmund  Sheffield. 

On  Eddy's  gulch,  Evening  Star  and  Star  of  the 
West  quartz  mines,  both  abandoned.  Also  William 
Burns,  John  Anderson,  David  Casey,  some  Portu- 
guese, and  several  other  small  placer  claims. 

Morning  Star  quartz  mine  and  mill,  on  Jackass 
gulch,  six  miles  from  Sawyer's  Bar,  not  working. 


DITCHES. 

Of  ditches  used  for  mining  and  irrigation  pur- 
poses there  are  in  the  county  250  miles,  assessed  at 
$53,100,  an  extremely  low  figure.  This  embraces 
only  ditches  of  some  magnitude,  those  carrying  only 
a  few  inches  being  omitted.  The  largest  of  these  is 
the  one  used  by  the  Yreka  Creek  Mining  Company, 
and  variously  called  the  Yreka  ditch,  Big  ditch,  and 
Shasta  River  canal.  It  was  completed  in  the  spring 
of  1856,  and  was  eighty  miles  in  length,  costing 
$200,000.  In  the  floods  of  1861-62  it  was  damaged 
to  the  amount  of  $16,000,  having  174  breaks  in  it. 
The  location  was  changed  to  the  east  side  of  Yreka, 
running  to  Hawkinsville,  in  1880,  at  great  expense. 
The  important  ditches  of  the  county  are: — 
The  San  Jose  ditch  at  Scott  river;  the  Shasta 
River  canal ;  a  large  irrigation  ditch  from  Scott  river, 
owned  by  McBride,  McConaughy,  and  others;  John 
Stewart  &  Co's.,  ditch  on  Indian  creek;  Wright  & 
Fletcher's  ditch  at  Oro  Fino;  Young  &  Eastlick's 
ditch  at  Oro  Fino;  A.  M.  Johnson's  ditches  at  Oro 
Fino  and  Quartz  valley;  Greenhorn  ditch  to  Hawk- 
insville; Sproll  ditch  to  Yreka  flats;  Henry  Egbert's 
ditch  from  Yreka  creek  to  Hawkinsville.  Besides 
these  there  are  a  great  many  ditches,  a  few  miles  in 
length  and  of  varied  capacity,  in  both  valleys,  along 
Scott  river,  at  Cottonwood,  and  in  all  the  placer 
mining  localities.  The  principal  ditches  in  the 
Salmon  River  mines  are  the  Bennett  &  Miller  ditch 
on  the  south  fork,  and  Boyd's  ditch  at  Oliver's  flat. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

LOCAL    HISTORIES. 

The  leading  events  in  the  history  of  the  county 
have  been  already  detailed,  and  it  remains  now  to 
give  a  brief  history  of  each  prominent  locality  in  the 
county,  embracing  what  has  not  already  been 
related.  The  section  that  until  recently  was  a  por- 
tion of  Klamath  county  has  been  omitted  from  this 
portion  of  the  work,  but  all  the  history  of  that 
region  which  affected  directly  the  early  settlement  of 
Siskiyou  county  proper,  has  been  related  in  the 
earlier  chapters. 

YREKA. 

The  causes  which  led  to,  and  the  circumstances 
that  attended,  the  discovery  of  gold  on  the  Yreka 
flats,  have  been  fully  detailed  in  Chapter  VIII.,  to 
which  the  reader  is  referred. 

A  miners'  meeting  was  at  once  held,  and  the  size 
of  claims  made  thirty  feet,  in  deference  to  the 
superior  wisdom  of  the  few  who  had  been  in  mines 
before.  Thompson,  and  his  partner,  Bell,  were 
given  an  extra  claim  for  the  discovery.  The  dis- 
coverers at  once  moved  their  camp  from  the  creek  to 
the  flat,  and  as  there  was  but  one  good  rocker  in  the 
party  they  were  compelled  to  improvise  some.  Oak 
trees,  the  centers  of  which  were  rotted "  and  soft, 
were  split  in  two  and  hewn  out  for  rockers.  Riddles 
were  made  of  deer  skin,  perforated  to  permit  the 
water  to  run  through.  When  the  miners  began  to 
arrive  from  below,  they  brought  "  long  toms,"  the 
superiority  of  which  was  so  evident  that  the 
rockers  were  cast  aside  wherever  there  was  water 


33 

n 

x 

33 

m 


o 


S    > 

CD 

0   m 
f3   3 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


ALEXANDER  PARKER, 

A  native  of  Scotland,  and  the  eldest  of  a  family 
of    ten    children,    sons    and   daughters   of    William 
and  Mary  (Boyd)  Parker,   was  born  January  13, 
1828.     At  an  early  age  Alexander  was  compelled 
to  labor  in  the  mines  and  on  the  farm.     At  the  ao-e 
of  ten  his  parents  emigrated  to  Nova  Scotia,  where 
they   resided  three    and  a    half  years,    from    there 
going  to  Pottsville,  Pennsylvania,  where  his  father 
had  come  to  mine.     In  three  years  they  again  moved 
to  near  St.  Louis,  working  at  mining;  and  again, 
in  1847,  this  time  to  Lafayette  county,  Wisconsin, 
where  they  were  engaged  in  farming.     In  the  spring 
of  1854  the  family  started  overland  to  California, 
with  ox  and  mule-teams.     When  about  half  way 
across   the  plains    Alexander    separated   from    the 
family  and  took  the  northern  route,  entering  Shasta 
valley  at  Sheep  Rock,  and  going  at  once  to  Scott 
valley,  where  he  located  the  place  on  which  H.  C. 
Cory  now  lives,  during  October,  1854.     In  1855  he 
purchased  the  claim  of  Young  &  Redford,  and  in 
1858  the  place  where  he  now  resides.     This  is  one 
of  the  finest   stock  ranges  in  northern  California. 
Mi\  Parker  has  been  extensively  engaged   in  cattle 
■  raising,  carrying  as  high  as  3,000  head  at  one  time. 
In  November,  1872,  he  sold  2,000  head  of  stock  in 
Big  valley  for  $40,000.     At  that  time  cattle  com- 
manded good  prices.      The  buyers  were  Withington 
&   Speedy,  of  White   Pine,  Nevada.     It  had  been 
thought  he  would  not  sell  this   stock,  but  acting 
upon  the  advice  of  his  son  James,  he  let  them  go  at 
the  figure  offered.     One  thousand  head  were  left  on 
the  home  place,  where  he  has  since  continued  to 
grow  stock,  turning  off  from  150  to    200    head  of 
fat    cattle   annually.     In   addition    to   stock    he  is 
extensively  interested  in  mining  and  merchandising, 
being  the  owner,  in  company  with  his  sons  James 
and  John,  and  R.  H.  Campbell,  of  the  famous  Monte- 
zuma gravel  or  placer  mine,  on  the  south  fork  of 
Scott  river.     He  also  owns  three-tenths  of  the  Last 
Chance  mine;  a  claim  on  Wild  Cat,  which  he  rents, 
and  another  mine  known  as  the  Rim  Diggings,  on 
the  side  of  a  hill  near  Last  Chance.     He  is  also  con- 
nected with  the  commercial  house  of  Parker,  Camp- 
bell &  Co.,  at  Etna,  which  occupies  the  spacious  brick 
building  erected  by  Mr.  Parker  in  November,  1880, 
at  an  expense  of  $12,000.     When  Mr.  Parker  landed 
in  Scott  valley  he  was  not  possessed  of  much  of  this 
world's  goods.      He  then  had  a  wife,  one  child,  a 
few  cattle,  and  $100.      Foremost  among  the  pro- 
gressive and  enterprising  people  who  live  here,  he 
has  by  his  own  efforts  raised  himself  to  the  front 
rank  in  wealth  and  affluence.     He  was  married  at 
St.   Louis,    December  3,    1852,   to   Miss   Susanna 
Durand,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Grace  Durand,  of 
English  birth.     His  wife  died  September  24,  1870. 
There  were  born  to  them  nine  children,  as  follows: 
William,  born  at  St.  Louis  January  3,  1S53,  died  in 
Plowman  valley  April  17,  1873;  James  Boyd,  bom 
January   18,   1855;   Alexander,  born  October   24, 
1856;   John,   born  June    16,   1858;    Jennie,    born 
August   7,    1860;  Charles  B.,   born   February    23, 
1864 ;  Brice  B.,  born   February  28,  1866 ;  Robert 
Thomas,  born  March  7,  1868  ;  George  S.,  born  Sep- 
tember  10,   1870,  died   December   28,  1871.     Mr. 
Parker  was  again  married,  to  Miss  Maggie  Taylor, 
daughter  of  James  and   Rebecca  Taylor  of  Calla- 


han's ranch.  Mrs.  Parker  is  a  native  of  Siskiyou 
county,  being  born  on  the  south  fork.  By  this 
union  there  is  one  son,  born  February  12,  1881. 
Mr.  Parker  is  a  staunch  Democrat.  His  religion  is 
Presbyterian.  His  father  died  at  the  age  of  ^sixtv- 
seven.  His  mother  is  still  living,  and  at  the 
advanced  age  of  seventy-two  is  hale  and  hearty. 
Mr.  Parker  has  lived  to  raise  a  large  family  of  boys, 
not  one  of  whom  drinks,  smokes,  or  plays  cards.  In 
the  interim  between  his  first  wife's  d'eath  and  his 
second  marriage  his  house  was  in  charge  of  his 
daughter  and  Mrs.  Grace  Griffin.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Eastern  Star  Lodge,  No.  186,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  at  Etna. 


E.  D.  BROWN 


Was  born  in  Carrollton,  Green  county,  Illinois,  in 
1842,  and  while  still  young  went  to  Texas,  where 
he  was  reared  and  educated  by  his  uncle,  J.  W. 
Throckmorton,  who  was  afterwards  Governor  of 
Texas  and  a  member  of  Congress.  Mr.  Brown  re- 
sided with  his  uncle  until  the  year  1852  when  he 
moved  to  Mexico  and  lived  about  a  year.  In 
1853  he  came  to  California.  He  immediately 
engaged  in  mining,  which  occupation  he  has  made 
his  life  work.  His  first  labors  in  this  direction  were 
performed  at  Mariposa.  In  1858  and  1859  he  was 
engaged  in  Aving-damming  on  the  Klamath  river. 
Afterwards  in  1860  and  1861  he  was  at  Jackson- 
ville, Oregon,  carrying  on  his  mining  operations. 
For  three  years  more  he  was  engaged  in  working 
both  quartz  and  placer  mines  on  the  Humbug.  It 
was  here  that  Mr.  Brown  discovered  the  Eliza  ledge 
which  he  finally  sold  out.  He  then  went  to  Oro 
Fino  and  worked  a  claim  which  did  not  prove  suc- 
cessful in  the  end.  Leaving  Oro  Fino  in  1S65  he 
worked  on  McAdams  creek  during  that  and  the  fol- 
lowing year.  He  then  changed  his  base  of  opera- 
tions to  White  Pine,  Nevada,  mining  silver  quartz 
for  a  time.  He  afterwards  returned  to  McAdams 
creek,  going  from  thence  to  Indian  creek  where  he 
was  occupied  in  placer  mining.  At  this  place,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Bailey,  they  struck  the  Grizzly 
Bonanza  quartz  ledge,  in  Grizzly  gulch.  This  mine 
has  been  developed  until  it  is  the  leading  quartz 
mine  of  Siskiyou  county.  Of  Mr.  Brown's  family 
there  are  six  children,  three  boys  and  three  girls. 
Having  made  a  study  of  mining  for  many  years,  Mr. 
Brown  has  acquired  great  dexterity  and  skill  in 
searching  out  nature's  hidden  mineral  treasures  and 
he  has  acquired  great  success  from  this  knowledge. 
He  is  a  man  of  high  intelligence  and  culture  and  is 
universally  esteemed. 


FRANCIS  CHANCEY  ERWIN  COOLEY, 

The  youngest  of  a  family  of  six  children,  was  the 
son  of  Proctor  P.  and  Elizabeth  (Erwin)  Cooley. 
His  father  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  his 
mother  of  Mohawk  valley,  New  York.  They  were 
married  in  Amsterdam,  New  York,  and  removed  to 
St.  Charles,  Kane  county,  Illinois,  where  young 
Cooley  was  born  June  27,  1847.  His  mother  died 
when  he  was  but  six  months  old,  and  he  was  token 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


and  adopted  by  a  Miss  Holbrook,  who  kept  him  till 
four  years  of  age,  when  he  returned  to  his  father. 
At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  went  to  Sycamore,  DeKalb 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming,  afterwards 
going  to  Chicago  and  learning  the  trade  of  harness- 
maker.  In  time  he  went  to  Warrenville  and 
learned  shoemaking  with  a  Mr.  Stafford.  After  liv- 
ing in  Iowa  awhile  and  making  two  ocean  voyages, 
he  returned  to  Fulton,  Illinois,  from  which  place  in 
1862  he  started  for  California,  crossing  the  plains. 
Here  he  was  engaged  in  mining  and  shoemaking 
until  1865,  when  he  returned  to  New  York  City  by 
water,  coming  back  to  San  Francisco  the  same  year. 
Here  he  was  again  engaged  in  mining  and  shoe- 
making  and  farming.  In  1866  he  visited  White 
Pine,  Nevada,  and  afterwards  Fort  Yuma,  Arizona, 
and  still  later  he  went  to  Los  Angeles.  From  there 
he  journeyed  to  Sacramento,  where  until  1870  he 
followed  his  trade.  In  the  spring  of  that  j^ear  he 
removed  to  Fort  Jones,  opened  up  in  the  boot  and 
shoe  business,  and  has  ever  since  resided  here.  Mr. 
Cooley  is  strictly  temperate  in  his  habits,  never  hav- 
ing drank  or  played  cards  while  on  the  coast.  The 
year  after  the  completion  of  the  Central  Pacific  rail- 
road Mr.  Cooley  made  two  trips  to  Salt  Lake  and 
returned  to  Sacramento.  While  an  invalid  he 
traveled  into  nearly  every  part  of  the  United  States 
for  his  health,  his  father  furnishing  the  means.  Mr. 
Cooley 's  father  located  in  Du  Page  county,  Illinois, 
many  years  ago,  and  acquired  a  large  property  at 
Winfield.  He  died  in  1879.  Mr.  Cooley  stands 
high  both  socially  and  morally.  His  religious  beliefs 
are  Protestant  and  his  political  convictions  Repub- 
lican. 

ANDREW  A.  BEEM 

Was  born  in  Covert,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania, 
October  13,  1836.  He  was  the  son  of  Andrew  and 
Margaret  Beem.  The  father  was  of  Scotch  ances- 
try, and  born  in  New  England.  The  mother 
was  of  Pennsylvania-German  extraction.  Andrew 
remained  at  home  on  the  farm  until  1845,  when 
his  parents  sold  the  place  and  removed  to  Alton, 
Illinois.  Here  he  attended  school  till  1852,  when 
he  crossed  the  plains  with  an  ox-team  to  Salem, 
Oregon.  In  1854  he  removed  to  Yreka,  and  from 
thence  to  Deadwood,  a  place  which  now  exists  only 
in  history.  At  this  place  he  mined  until  1863, 
when  he  journeyed  to  Idaho  and  settled  at  Pioneer 
City,  on  Grimes  creek.  In  1864  Mr.  Beem  returned 
to  Siskiyou  county,  and  purchased  the  livery  stable, 
at  Fort  Jones,  where  he  has  since  continued  to 
reside.  He  was  married,  September  21,  1861,  to  Miss 
Catherine  Dolan,  of  Massachusetts.  Three  children 
have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beem,  viz. :  Anna 
C,  born  November  30,  1863;  Martin  Custer,  born 
November  25,  1865,  and  named  after  General  Cus- 


ter, at  the  solicitation  of  a  brother  who  was  then 
in  the  service  with  him  and  is  now  a  prominent 
attorney  in  Chicago  ;  William  Pitt,  born  February 
13,  1868.  In  June,  1880,  Mr.  Beem  established  a 
stage  line  from  Fort  Jones  to  Yreka,  making  three 
trips  per  week,  passing  up  McAdams  creek.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  belonging  to 
North  Star  Lodge  at  Fort  Jones,  and  Cyrus  Chap- 
ter at  Yreka.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Fort  Jones 
Lodge,  No.  115,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
He  is  politically  a  Republican,  and  in  religion  a 
Protestant.  Mr.  Beem  is  a  well-read  and  thoroughly 
informed  man,  and  the  same  habits  of  study  are 
followed  by  his  boys.  He  is  a  public-spirited  citi- 
zen, and  awake  to  the  general  interests  of  Fort 
Jones. 


MARTIN  ANDREWS, 

Whose  father's  name  wras  also  Martin,  was  born  in 
England  in  the  year  1835.  His  father,  a  native  of 
Cornwall,  England,  was  born  in  1795,  and  his 
mother,  Hannah,  in  1797.  Martin  was  the  young- 
est of  three,  his  brother  Mathias,  having  first  seen 
the  light  in  1827  and  his  sister  Mary  in  1833.  In 
May,  1854,  young  Andrews  secured  passage  on  the 
vessel  DeWitt  Clinton,  bound  for  the  United  States, 
being  desirous  of  trying  his  fortune  in  America. 
Upon  her  arrival  in  this  country  he  went  to  Penn- 
sylvania and  engaged  in  mining  for  two  or  three 
months.  On  the  first  of  August,  1854,  he  started 
for  northern  Michigan,  where  for  one  year  he  was 
employed  in  copper  mining.  In  1855  he  formed 
the  resolution  of  going  to  California,  and  putting 
his  purpose  into  execution  he  reached  this  State  in 
October  of  that  year.  He  then  entered  into  mining 
and  for  two  years  remained  in  Weaverville,  Trinity 
county.  He  came  to  Scott  Bar  in  July,  1857,  and 
prosecuted  mining  very  successfully,  an  occupation 
he  has  followed  up  to  the  present  time.  Mr.  Andrews 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Isabella  Nentzel,  at 
Simonville,  on  Scott  river,  February  5,  1874.  Mrs. 
Andrews  was  born  in  New  York  City  November  1, 
1847.  The  children  born  to  this  union  are  Martin, 
born  September  29,  1874  ;  Annie,  born  February 
26,  1876  ;  Mary  born  December  2,  1877 ;  and 
Louise,  born  November  30,  1879.  Mr.  Andrews 
made  a  visit  to  Europe  in  1864  to  see  his  parents, 
and  returning,  passed  through  Pennsylvania  to  visit 
his  sister.  He  completed  his  trip  and  got  back  to 
Scott  river  in  June,  1865.  Mr.  Andrews  is  a  man 
eminently  respected  and  esteemed,  standing  high  in 
his  community.  He  is  at  present  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  of  Siskiyou  county  and  has  a 
very  pretty  residence  on  Scott  river,  below  Whiting 
Hill,  which  forms  one  of  the  illustrations  of  this 
work. 


cr 

LU 

CD 

ss 


•i/V 

CO  <i 


CD  O 

=>  " 

<  5 

o  •&• 

u  * 

uj  i*J 

E  J 

CO  01 

UJ 

cr 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


107 


enough  for  a  torn.  These  were  also  cut  from 
trees  until  lumber  was  introduced/ when  they  were 
made  of  better  material.  In  this  way  was  mining 
inaugurated  at  what  was  then  called  Thompson's  Dry 
Dio-orings. 

The  second  day  after  the  discovery,  miners  began 
to  pour  in  from  Scott  Bar  and  take  up  claims  on 
the  flat.  Theodore  F.  Rowe  and  the  Burgess  Broth- 
ers, both  of  whom  had  pack-trains  at  Scott  Bar, 
brought  their  goods  to  Yreka,  and  at  once  started 
below  to  procure  a  new  supply.  In  this  way  the 
news  was  spread  that  wonderful  diggings  had  been 
struck  in  Shasta  valley,  and  created  great  excite- 
ment, or  rather  increased  the  excitement  that  the 
Trinity  and  northern  mines  had  been  causing  for 
more  than  a  year.  It  has  been  the  oft-repeated 
history  of  mining  that  the  charms  of  a  new  discov- 
ery cannot  be  resisted.  No  matter  how  remote  they 
may  be  or  how  difficult  and  dangerous  the  road,  new 
mines  of  fabulous  richness — and  new  mines  ai-e 
always  fabulously  rich — have  but  to  be  announced 
to  create  a  furore  of  excitement  and  a  rush  of  eager 
gold-seekers. 

The  last  company  down  from  Oregon  had  an- 
nounced that  the  road  was  lined  with  men  going  to 
California,  and  these  began  to  pour  in  a  few  days 
after  the  discovery.  Soon  the  crowds  from  below 
made  their  appearance,  some  on  foot,  and  some 
mounted;  some  without  a  dollar  or  a  pound  of 
"  grub,"  and  some  with  mules  loaded  with  provisions 
and  tools.  The  last  proceeded  at  once  to  business. 
A  pole  leaning  against  a  tree  and  covered  with 
canvas  made  an  excellent  store,  in  which  goods  were 
partially  protected  from  the  elements,  while  the 
open  door  gave  as  free  ingress,  if  not  as  hearty  wel- 
come, to  the  mud  and  rain  as  to  the  anxious  cus- 
tomer. Logs  made  comfortable  seats.  Brush  when 
artistically  arranged  by  the  hand  of  experience, 
made  a  couch  so  soft  and  springy  as  to  woo  the  tired 
miner  to  sweet  repose  and  happy  dreams.  Stones, 
mud  and  turf  made  excellent  fire-places,  where  the 
culinary  preparations  were  made  for  the  not  very 
elaborate  meal  of  bacon,  beans  and  coffee,  varied 
occasionally  by  a  little  fresh  game  from  the  mount- 
ains or  valley.  This  commingling  of  tents,  brush 
shanties  and  open  camping  places  probably  bore  as 
striking  resemblance  to  Washington's  camp  at  Val- 
ley Forge  as  has  ever  been  produced  since  the  "  times 
that  tried  men's  souls." 

To  a  mining  camp  whisky  is  essential,  and  saloons 
a  part  of  its  very  being.  The  fiery  liquid  headed 
the  list  of  merchandise.  Wherever  anything  was 
sold  whisky  could  be  obtained,  and  many  places 
kept  nothing  else.  -  Twenty -five  cents  was  the  usual 
price,  though  in  a  new  camp  fifty  cents  and  some- 
times one  dollar  was  charged  for  a  drink.  Gaming 
tables  were  an  indispensable  adjunct  of  a  well- 
appointed  saloon,  and  many  a  miner  gambled  away 
at  night  or  on  Sunday  all  he  had  made  by  hard 
labor  in  his  claim.  One  of  these,  kept  by  Sam. 
Lockhart,  boasted  of  the  only  attempt  at  architect- 
ural embellishment  in  the  settlement.  It  was  made 
of  shakes  nailed  upon  poles  and  covered  with  canvas 
and  brush,  in  fact  the  only  house  in  town. 

The  location  of  the  mushroom  city  was  about  one- 
half  mile  northwest  of  the  corner  of  Oregon  and 
Miner  streets,  on  a  little  knoll  near  some  springs  of 


water.  With  the  men  from  Scott  Bar  came  D.  H. 
Lowry  and  wife,  who  opened  a  boarding-house 
under  a  canopy  of  brush.  A  pine  log  served  for  a 
table,  on  which  was  spread  for  one  dollar  and  a  half 
a  toothsome  meal  of  bacon,  coffee,  rice,  and  biscuits. 

This  last  delicacy,  made  by  the  fair  hand  of  .Mrs. 
Lowry,  the  only  woman  in  the  camp  and  the  first 
white  woman  to  settle  in  the  county,  drew  crowds  to 
her  table.  Many  went  moi-c  to  see  and  have  a 
pleasant  word  with  the  "handsomest  woman  in 
town"  than  for  the  meal  she  smilingly  set  before 
them.  That  summer  the  ladies  became  more  numer- 
ous by  about  half  a  dozen.  Mrs.  E.  C.  Kelly,  Mrs. 
John  B.  Pierce,  Mrs.  James  Hill,  Mrs.  Hull,  ami  tin- 
first  unmarried  lady,  Miss  Josephine  Rollins,  after 
whom  Josephine  county,  Oregon,  is  named.  Socially 
Miss  Rollins  had  no  rival,  and  wanted  not  for 
devoted  admirers. 

The  town  did  not  long  remain  on  the  flats,  but 
soon  took  up  its  present  location.  The  first  vivid 
recollection  Judge  Steele  has  of  the  present  town 
site,  was  on  that  day  in  March  1851,  when  he 
arrived  in  haste  from  Scott  Bar,  to  take  up  a  claim 
in  the  new  diggings.  An  immense  crowd  of  human 
beings  was  congregated  here,  and  a  near  approach 
showed  them  to  be  Indians,  and  very  excited.  A 
great  foot-race  was  about  to  be  run  by  a  Shasta 
chief  and  a  Rogue  River  Indian.  There  were  fully 
two  hundred  braves  of  the  Shasta  tribe  present,  a« 
well  as  a  number  from  Rogue  river,  and  these  with 
their  squaws  and  children,  made  a  large  and  motley 
crowd.  The  excitement  was  intense,  and  the  betting 
reached  fever  heat;  horses,  weapons  and  even  their 
squaws  being  wagered  by  the  enthusiastic  braves. 
It  was  a  picture  such  as  few  of  the  white  men  pres- 
ent had  ever  seen.  The  course  was  from  where  the 
court  house  stands  to  where  Mr.  Thomas  resides, 
then  reckoned  at  three  miles,  but  now  known  to  be 
less  than  two.  As  to  the  result  of  the  race,  which 
party  rejoiced  and  which  was  left  to  mourn,  history 
is  silent. 

About  the  last  of  April,  W.  J.  and  John  S.  Evans 
arrived  and  camped  on  the  creek.  They  made  sev- 
eral two-wheeled  carts  from  their  wagons,  and  began 
hauling  dirt  from  the  mines  to  the  creek  to  be 
washed.  Their  example  was  immediately  followed 
by  many  others.  Nearly  all  the  arrivals  thereafter 
pitched  their  camps  along  the  creek,  where  there  was 
a  thick  growth  of  cottonwood  trees,  and  soon  they 
lined  its  banks  from  Greenhorn  to  Hawkinsville. 
A  large  corral  was  built  at  the  foot  of  Miner  street, 
where  stock  was  kept,  and  this  became  a  kind  of 
headquarters.  Samuel  Lockhart  moved  his  saloon 
down  to  the  creek  about  the  first  of  May.  desiring 
to  be  near  the  center  of  population.  He  built  a 
large  structure  of  poles,  shakes  and  canvas,  the  firsi 
business  place  in  the  present  town  of  Yreka,  and  if 
now  standing  would  be  in  the  street,  at  the  junction 
of  Center  and  Main  streets.  Immediately  after,  Mr 
Turner  built  a  house  about  eighteen  feet  square,  of 
cottonwood  logs,  between  where  Elijah  Carrier's 
house  and  his  blacksmith  shop  now  stand. 

A  tendency  to  move  to  the  new  location  was  at 
once  exhibited,  and  it  was  decided  by  a  few  public- 
spirited  men  to  layout  streets  for  a  town.  Sam. 
Lockhart,  D.  H.  Lowry,  George  E.  Smith,  F.  G. 
Hearn,  and  a  few  others,  took  that  task  upon  them- 


198 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


selves,  and  being  -without  any  instrument  or  tape- 
line,  paced  off  the  lots.  Some  of  them  looked  as 
though  the  pacer  had  been  following  a  man  around 
with  a  jug.  In  this  way  Main  street  was  laid  out, 
from  where  Waterman's  corral  was  afterwards 
built  to  the  old  Hardin  stable,  above  W.  A.  Hovey's 
residence,  and  Miner  street  from  the  creek  to  about 
Fourth  street.  This  was  early  in  May,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  Miner  street  was  built  up  clear  to 
the  mines.  It  received  its  name  because  the  high- 
way to  the  mines,  and  Main  street  because  then  the 
principal  business  street.  About  the  last  of  August, 
Second  street  was  laid  out,  and  later  in  the  fall,  0. 
D.  Hoxie  and  others,  who  wanted  corner  lots,  opened 
Oregon  street.  Third  street  was  not  laid  out  until 
1853,  and  Fourth  street  in  1855.  The  original 
width  of  Miner  street  was  the  same  that  it  now  is 
between  Second  and  Main. 

The  new  town  was  rapidly  built  up  of  shake  and 
log  houses,  brush  shanties,  and  tents,  as  well  as  by 
combinations  of  these  materials.  Capt.  Charles 
McDermit  built  a  two-story  log  house  where  the 
Tribune  office  now  stands,  b}'  far  the  most  pre- 
tentious structure  in  the  city,  for  such  it  was  called. 

Before  the  town  was  moved  from  the  flats,  in 
fact,  but  a  few  days  after  the  rush  of  miners  began, 
a  dispute  arose  and  the  people  chose  a  man  named 
Kennedy  for  alcalde.  He  was  succeeded  by  Cut 
Eye  Foster,  so  named  from  a  scar  across  his  eye. 
Cut  Eye  Foster's  Bar  in  Yuba  county  also  perpetu- 
ates the  memory  of  this  man.  He  soon  left  for 
below,  aud  an  election  was  held  in  May  in  the  new 
town  by  the  creek.  At  this  time  George  C.  S.  Vail 
was  chosen  alcalde,  and  James  E.  Thomas,  now  of 
Fort  Jones,  constable.  Judge  Tyler,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, was  the  unsuccessful  opponent  of  Thomas,  and 
William  Vaughn  of  Vail.  Judge  Steele  in  his  history 
of  the  bench  and  bar,  in  Chapter  XII.,  has  related 
some  of  the  judicial  peculiarities  of    this    worthy 

officer.     Late  in  the  summer Medcalf  succeeded 

Vail  in  the  judicial  office,  and  in  the  fall  a  regular 
election  was  held  for  justices  and  constables  of 
Shasta  Plains  township,  by  order  of  the  court  of 
sessions  of  Shasta  county  at  which  Medcalf  and 
Archibald  McArthur  were  chosen  justices,  and  Dr. 
0.  S.  Allen  and  J.  E.  Thomas  constables.  McArthur 
was  an  old  Scotchman,  stubborn  as  any  of  the  race, 
and  when  he  learned  that  it  was  necessary  to  go  to 
Shasta  and  qualify,  he  declined  to  serve,  and  William 
B.  Apler  was  chosen  in  his  place. 

While  Vail  was  alcalde,  a  band  of  horse-thieves 
began  operating  in  the  mines.  Their  ways  of  oper- 
ating were  various.  One  day  they  claimed  a  splendid 
mule  that  belonged  to  an  old  man,  and  the  case  was 
brought  up  before  Vail  for  trial.  They  all  swore  to 
the  identity  of  the  animal  and  that  he  had  been 
stolen  from  them  in  the  mines  further  south.  The 
owner  testified  that  he  and  his  partner  had  pur- 
chased a  span  of  matched  mules  in  Missouri,  had 
ridden  them  across  the  plains,  and  when  he  decided 
to  go  to  the  new  mines,  they  had  divided  their  pos- 
sessions, each  partner  taking  one  of  the  mules.  The 
thieves  outnumbered  the  old  man  and  Vail  decided 
that  the  mule  belonged  to  them.  A  few  days  passed, 
and  one  evening  the  defrauded  owner  sat  by  the  cor- 
ral at  the  foot  of  Miner  street,  where  the  mule  was 
kept,  disconsolate  and  disheartened.  From  a  dis- 
tance down  the  trail  there  came  faintly  borne  on  the 


still  air  the  bray  of  an  approaching  mule.  The  mule 
in  the  corral  pricked  up  his  ears  and  answered  it. 
The  old  man  jumped  up  and  exclaimed  "There 
comes  my  partner  now,  111  show  '  em  whose  mule  it 
is."  The  two  animals  kept  calling  to  each  other 
until  the  man  with  the  approaching  mule  turned  the 
corner  of  Main  street  toward  the  creek.  Quite  a 
crowd  had  collected  by  this  time  to  watch  the  pro- 
ceedings. The  new  mule,  despite  all  the  efforts  of 
his  rider,  turned  out  from  the  road,  went  up  to  the 
corral,  and  the  two  animals  began  rubbing  noses  as 
if  overjoyed  to  again  see  each  other.  At  the  same 
time  the  two  partners  were  greeting  each  other  in  a 
joyful  manner.  Vail  sprang  up  and  said,  "Old man, 
that  is  your  mule.  That  is  better  evidence  than 
was  ever  given  in  a  court  of  law."  Turning  to  the 
foiled  thieves  he  said,  "  If  I  ever  hear  of  you  attempt- 
ing this  game  again,  I  will  head  a  crowd  that  will 
hang  you  higher  than  Hainan."  They  departed  for 
newer  pastures. 

It  was  for  men  of  this  kind,  and  other  bad  and 
desperate  characters,  that  a  vigilance  committee  was 
organized  among  a  certain  class  of  citizens.  Alvy 
Boles  was  chosen  judge,  and  Abraham  Thompson, 
constable,  of  this  organization.  Justice  Medcalf 
belonged  to  it,  as  well  as  a  great  many  others,  but  it 
was  kept  so  secret  that  but  few  outside  the  organiza- 
tion were  aware  of  its  existence.  Its  object  was  to 
further  the  ends  of  justice  by  assisting  the  authori- 
ties, though  it  was  prepared  to  administer  j  ustice  of 
its  own.  No  acts  of  violence  were  committed,  and 
the  only  known  move  they  made,  was  to  run  a  horse- 
thief  named  Hartley,  out  of  town.  Mr.  Boles 
himself  states  that  they  gave  a  large  number  of 
undesirable  characters  notice  to  leave  town,  and  that 
most  of  them  emigrated  to  Jacksonville  when  mines 
were  discovered  there.  This,  however,  is  unknown 
to  other  citizens  of  the  town. 

When  the  town  was  moved  to  its  present  loca- 
tion, the  name  Thompson's  Dry  Diggings  had  ceased 
to  apply  to  it,  and  it  was  nameless,  until  Alcalde 
Vail  began  to  date  his  official  papers  at  Shasta  Butte 
City.  By  this  name  was  it  thereafter-  known;  but 
so  similar  was  that  to  Shasta  City,  that  it  was 
found  desirable  to  change  it.  The  next  spring  the 
bill  that  was  introduced  into  the  legislature  to  create 
this  county,  substituted  the  name  Yreka  for  Shasta 
Butte  City.  It  was  occasionally  spelled  Wyreka, 
but  soon  settled  down  into  the  accepted  orthography 
of  to-day.  It  is  a  corruption  of  I-e-ka,  the  white, 
the  Indian  name  for  Mount  Shasta. 

By  order  of  the  court  of  sessions  of  Siskiyou 
county,  an  election  was  held  in  Shasta  Butte  City 
township,  May  29,  1852,  for  justices  and  constable. 
The  township  embraced  Yreka,  Humbug  and  Cot- 
tonwood. Yreka,  including  Greenhorn,  cast  712 
votes.  Daniel  France  and  James  Strawbridge  were 
chosen  justices,  and  H.  R.  France,  constable. 

On  the  twenty-ninth  of  September,  was  born  in 
Yreka  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  county.  He 
was  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Hill,  and  was  named 
William  Shasta  Hill,  but  he  was  generally  called 
Shasta  Butte.  At  the  time  of  his  birth  there  were 
but  three  or  four  ladies  in  the  town. 

The  many  historical  events  of  the  early  years  of 
Yreka  have  been  woven  into  narratives  in  other  por- 
tions of  this  volume.  The  town  gradually  substi- 
tuted  wood  and  brick  for  the  canvas  and  shake 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


1!)9 


houses,  fire  frequently  rendering  the  demolition  of 
these  structures  unnecessary.  Two  fires  occurred  in 
1852.  In  the  spring  both  sides  of  Miner  up  to 
Second,  and  Main  as  far  as  Center  street  were 
burned.  The  next  fire  was  in  September,  and  cov- 
ered nearly  the  same  ground.  Churchill  &  Parker, 
who  had  been  burned  out  by  both  of  these  fires,  then 
built  a  stone  and  brick  store  on  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  Miner  and  Main  streets,  the  first  in  town. 

The  great  floods  of  the  winter  of  1852-53  had  a 
disastrous  effect  upon  Yreka.  The  roads  were  so 
impassable  on  account  of  mud  and  water,  and  the 
mountain  trails  so  blockaded  with  snow,  that  pack- 
trains  were  unable  to  get  in  with  supplies.  Pro- 
visions became  exhausted.  Salt,  flour,  bacon,  beans, 
rice,  and  nearly  everything  of  that  nature  were 
eaten  up,  and  a  new  supply  could  not  be  obtained. 
Flour  sacks  were  scraped  and  soaked  to  remove  from 
them  every  vestige  of  their  contents.  There  was 
plenty  of  fresh  meat,  cattle  in  abundance,  game  in 
profusion,  and  as  a  last  resort  horses  and  mules,  so 
there  was  no  danger  of  actual  starvation,  though 
many  who  could  not  afford  to  pay  the  exorbitant 
prices  charged  for  everything,  fared  far  from  sump- 
tuously. Salt  was  the  dearest  and  most  necessary 
article,  for  a  diet  of  fresh  meat  without  any  season- 
ing became  naseous.  A  small  sack  of  that  article 
was  brought  in  from  Oregon  and  sold  rapidly  in 
small  lots  at  one  dollar  per  ounce. 

Among  the  first  to  arrive  in  Yreka  when  the 
mines  were  discovered,  were  Alvy  Boles  and  Dr. 
William  Dane.  Boles  was  a  blacksmith,  and  had 
brought  an  anvil  and  tools,  which  he  set  up  under 
a  tree.  When  the  town  was  moved  to  its  present 
location,  they  built  a  shop  where  Clarkson's  shop 
now  stands.  Boles  &  Dane  also  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising,  and  ran  a  private  pack-train.  In  1852, 
Boles  took  up  and  cultivated  considerable  land 
along  the  creek,  in  all  about  140  acres.  He  raised 
barley,  wheat,  corn,  potatoes,  cabbages,  turnips,  and 
beets.  He  had  twenty-two  acres  of  potatoes  on  the 
McNulty  place.  The  seed  for  all  these  he  procured 
at  considerable  expense  and  trouble.  He  had  a 
splendid  crop  of  potatoes,  and  when  the  stringency 
occurred  in  the  supply  of  provisions,  had  a  fortune 
at  his  command,  had  he  chosen  to  take  it.  Specu- 
lators offered  him  fifty  cents  per  pound  for  his 
potatoes,  well  knowing  that  they  could  double  their 
money,  but  Mr.  Boles  said  he  would  not  speculate 
on  the  sufferings  of  his  fellow-men.  and  would  con- 
trol the  distribution  of  the  crop  himself.  He  set 
the  price  at  twenty-five  cents  a  pound,  and  only 
allowed  one  man  to  buy  one  hundred  pounds.  In 
this  way  he  kept  the  price  within  the  means  of  all, 
and  prevented  the  speculators  from  controlling  the 
market. 

Even  at  this  price  he  would  have  made  a  great 
deal  of  money,  but  he  credited  all  those  who  could 
not,  or  said  they  could  not,  pay,  and  in  the  end  was 
cheated  out  of  three-fourths  of  the  purchase  money 
of  those  he  sold.  When  the  supply  of  potatoes 
grew  smaller,  and  the  pack-trains  still  failed  to 
arrive,  he  reduced  the  quantity  allowed  each  man 
to  fifteen  pounds.  Men  called  him  an  old  fool,  and 
few  seemed  at  all  grateful  to  the  man  who  had  fed 
them  on  vegetables  all  the  winter  at  one-fourth  the 
price  they  must  have  paid   had  he  acted   as   most 


men  would.  Without  Boles'  vegetables,  it  is  a 
question  if  scurvy  and  other  diseases  would  not 
have  prevailed  that  winter.  When  he  had  doled 
out  the  last  pound,  a  Jew  merchant  nailed  up  a 
board  bearing  the  legend,  "  Potatoes,  one  dollar  a 
pound."  This  was  too  much  for  Boles  to  stand. 
He  went  to  the  Hebrew  with  a  crowd  of  angry 
men,  and  ascertained  that  the  potatoes  had  been 
procured  for  the  Jew  in  small  lots  by  impecunious 
men  the  Jew  had  hired  for  the  purpose,  many  of 
them  having  been  put  on  the  "slate."  A  pleasant 
suggestion  of  hanging  the  Jew  was  made,  which 
frightened  that  speculative  individual  considerably; 
but  Boles  vetoed  the  act,  and  compelled  him  to 
divide  his  stock  of  potatoes  into  small  lots,  and  sell 
them  at  the  old  price  of  twenty-five  cents.  Soon 
after  this  the  pack-trains  arrived,  and  the  hard 
times  were  at  an  end. 

The  next  fall  Boles  ran  for  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  was  badly  beaten,  the  same  men  who  had  never 
settled  their  potato  bilis  voting  against  him.  It 
was  a  common  thing  on  the  day  of  election  to  hear 
him  upbraid  these  ungrateful  spongers.  "  Yes,  and 
there's  another  one  of  'em,"  he  would  say,  "there 
you  are  working  against  me,  when  I  saved  you  from 
starving  last  winter."  "Yes,  you  did,"  was  the 
reply,  "  and  you  were  ad  —  n  fool  for  doing  it,  too. 
A  man  who  don't  know  any  better  than  that,  don't 
know  enough  to  be  a  justice  of  the  peace."  Boles 
has  ever  since  wondered  in  what  part  of  the  human 
anatomy  gratitude  is  located ;  he  says  it  certainly  is 
not  in  the  stomach. 

In  the  summer  of  1854,  a  large  portion  of  the 
business  section  of  the  town  was  destined  by  fire. 
It  originated  in  a  shake  house  near  where  the  engine 
house  now  stands,  and  was  first  seen  when  but  a 
little  blaze  in  the  shakes  about  the  chimney,  so  small 
that  it  could  be  covered  with  a  hat.  In  half  an  hour 
it  would  have  taken  Dido's  ox-hide  to  go  around  it. 
There  were  no  facilities  whatever  for  combating  a 
fire.  Each  man  did  as  he  thought  best  and  worked 
with  whatever  he  could  find  available.  Buckets 
were  plentiful  but  water  was  scarce.  There  were  no 
street  cisterns  nor  a  system  of  water-works.  The 
fire  had  its  own  way,  and  lapped  up  the  frail  wooden 
buildino-s  so  quickly  that  some  men  were  burned  out 
before  they  realized  the  danger.  It  burned  Miner 
street  from  where  it  started  to  Oregon  street,  taking 
everything  but  the  stone  and  brick  building  now 
occupied  by  Adolph  Winckler.  The  loss  was  gn  at, 
but  in  a  few  months  new  buildings,  most  of  them  of 
brick,  covered  the  ground,  and  only  by  their  new- 
ness was  there  evidence  of  a  fire  having  occurred. 

February  4,  1855,  a  public  meeting  was  held  at 
the  Morning  Star  House,  on  the  lower  Hats,  to  con- 
sider the  Chinese  evil.  It  was  presided  over  by 
Maj.  J.  W.  Dunn,  and  Dr.  Anderson  was  secretary. 
A  memorial  to  Congress  was  adopted  Tims  did 
Yreka  put  herself  on  record  as  opposed  to  the 
Chinese  at  an  early  date. 

IKCOB.P0E  ATION — 185  4. 

Having  existed  more  than  three  years  with  no 
other  government  than  that  of  a  judicial  township, 
and  with  no  peace  or  police  officers  other  than  the 
justice  of  the  peace  and  constable,   Yreka,  in   1854, 

aspired  to  the  dignity  of  an  incorporated  town.    'I  be 


200 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


condition  of  society,  the  number  of  reckless  and  law- 
less men,  the  multiplicity  of  saloons,  gambling 
halls,  dance  houses,  etc.,  rendered  some  system  of 
police  supervision  necessary.  This  question  was 
considerably  discussed  by  the  citizens  whose  property 
and  business  interests  called  for  protection,  and 
action  was  taken  to  achieve  the  desired  result. 

At  a  session  of  the  County  Court  held  May  5,  1854, 
Hon.  R.  L.  Westbrook  presiding,  the  following  peti- 
tion was  presented:— 

To  the  Honorable,  the  County  Judge  of  the  County  of 
Siskiyou,  State  op  California: — 
Your  petitioners,  citizens  and  qualified  electors  of  the  town  of 
Yreka  City,  in  said  county,  who  have  been  residents  of  said  town 
for  thirty  days  last  passed,  pray  Your  Honor  that  they  be  incor- 
porated, and  a  police  established  for  their  local  government  and 
for  the  preservation  and  regulation  of  the  common  appertaining  to 
said  town,  as  set  forth  by  the  plat  setting  forth  the  metes  and 
bounds  of  said  town,  which  is  hereunto  affixed  and  made  a  part 
of  this  petition. 

To  this  were  appended  200  signatures,  among 
them  being  the  names  of  the  following  well-known 
citizens: — 

H.  D.  Van  Wyck,  S.  F.  Van  Choate,  A.  V  Gillett, 
A.  P.  McCarton,  Charles  Nickel,  Sigmund  Wetzel, 
Charles  C.  Peters,  H.  T.  Shepard,  A.  Witherill,  A. 
E.  Raynes,  John  Lentell,  E.  Carrick,  George  C. 
Furber,  Samuel  P.  Fair,  F.  A.  Rogers,  J.  D.  Cosby, 
W.  D.  Slade,  C.  N.  Thornbury,  William  S.  Menden- 
hall,  J.  W.  A'Neal,  S.  E.  Peacock,  D.  B.  Kitts,  W. 
H.  Gatliff,  J.  S.  Cummins.  S.  D  Brastow,  Henry 
Sels  &  Co.,  A.  V.  Burns,  James  E.  Thomas,  Pem- 
broke Murray,  F.  G.  Hearn,  T.  N.  Ballard,  F.  J. 
King,  R.  B.  Snelling.  A.  M.  C.  Smith,  Jesse  Barber, 
Joseph  Tyson,  H.  G.  Ferris,  N.  Dejarlais. 

This  action  was  taken  under  the  provisions  of  an 
Act  of  the  legislature,  passed  March  27,  1850, 
granting  the  county  judge  power  to  incorporate 
towns,  upon  petition  of  a  majority  of  the  legal 
voters.  The  court  took  the  following  action  on  the 
petition: — 

And  the  Court  considering  said  petition  and  application  in 
due  form,  and  that  the  requisite  number  of  petitioners  had  signed 
it, 

Ordered,  that  the  prayer  of  said  petition  be  granted,  and  that 
the  said  town  be;  and  the  same  is  hereby,  declared  incorporated 
— that  the  boundaries  thereof  be  as  set  out  and  described  in  the 
survey  and  plat  hereinbefore  copied,  and  that  said  corporate  town 
be  known  and  designated  as  Yreka  City,  and  as  such  town,  shall 
possess  all  the  rights,  privileges  and  immunities  granted  by  law, 
and  that  an  election  be  held  at  the  Yreka  House  in  said  town  on 
Monday  the  22d  day  of  May,  1854,  for  the  officers  of  said  corpo- 
ration. 

Attached  to  the  petition  was  a  plat  of  the  town 
as  surveyed  by  E.  M.  Stevens,  containing  360  acres. 

An  election  was  accordingly  held,  and  as  it  was 
the  first  corporation  election,  the  full  returns  are 
given  as  a  matter  of  interest. 

TRUSTEES. 

William  White  (three) 3 

A.  Hathaway  (twenty-eight) 28 

M.  M.  Conant  (eighty-nine) 89 

E.  C.  Kelley  (one  hundred  and  thirty-one) 131 

D.  B.  Sandborn  (one  hundred  and  thirty-one) 131 

H.  D.  Van  Wyck  (one  hundred  and  thirty-one) 131 

A.  G.  Annibal  (one  hundred  and  thirty-four) .    134 

P.  Gilbert  (one) 1 

George  Stilts  (one) 1 

J.  L.  Knapp  (six) 6 

D.  C.   Stevens  (one) * 1 

A.  V.  Gillett  (two) '.'..'  2 

William  Burke  (one) 1 


TREASURER. 

A.  V.  Burns  (one  hundred  and  thirty-four) 134 

ASSESSOR.  . 

J.   W.   A'Neal  (eighty-eight) 88 

L.  I.  Deleplain  (fifty-one) 51 

S.  P.  Fair  (one) 1 

J.  W.   Deleplain  (one) 1 

FOR    MARSHAL. 

S.  Ely  (eighty -seven) 87 

H.  T.   Millett   (twenty-three) 23 

J.  Jackson  (thirty-seven) - 37 

Yreka,  May  22. 
We,  the  undersigned,  Judges  of  an  election  for  town  corpora- 
tion officers  for  the  town  of  Yreka  City,  do  hereby  certify  that 
the  above  is  a  true  copy  of  an  election  held  at  Yreka,  May  22, 
1S54.  J.  L.  Knapp,  Inspector. 

John  P.  Farmer,  )  T", 
E.  C.  Kelley,        \  JudSes- 
[Attest.] 

A.  G.  Anneeal,  )  ™    , 
W.Thomas,        [Clerks- 

The  new  city  government  assumed  control  at 
once,  and  began  to  lay  out  and  fit  up  a  city  cemetery, 
to  construct  sewer  drains,  to  purchase  land  for  the 
purpose  of  widening  the  streets,  and  in  various  ways 
to  make  improvements  on  a  scale  entirely  too  magnif- 
icent and  expensive  for  the  financial  resources  at  its 
command.  The  result  was  that  when  the  first 
board  of  trustees  surrendered  the  management  of 
affairs  into  the  hands  of  their  successors,  they  had  not 
only  used  all  the  money  they  had  been  able  to  collect 
for  taxes  and  licenses,  but  had  outstanding  obliga- 
tions  amounting  to  about  $3,000,  a  portion  of  which 
the  new  board  paid,  and  the  balance,  being  purchase 
money  for  land,  was  never  paid,  the  land  reverting 
to  the  original  owners.  The  board,  which  assumed 
office  in  May,  1855,  was  composed  of  R.  B.  Snelling, 
A.  V.  Gillett,  J.  Lytle  Cummins,  John  D.  Cook,  and 
F.  G.  Hearn.  The  board  organized  with  Cummins 
as  president,  and  Hearn,  clerk.  They  soon  found 
that  the  reckless  manner  of  contracting  obligations 
pursued  by  their  predecessors,  had  practically 
swamped  the  government.  Nearly  all  the  money 
received  from  taxes  and  licenses  was  paid  out  on  old 
contracts,  leaving  but  little  to  sustain  the  corpora- 
tion during  the  current  year.  A  great  number  of 
orders  having  been  issued,  and  several  judgments 
having  been  obtained  in  the  courts  against  the  cor- 
poration,  and  the  trustees  fearing  to  make  them- 
selves personally  responsible,  it  was  thought  best  by 
all  to  disincorporate  the  town.  There  were  two 
factions,  one  that  desired  no  town  government  what- 
ever, deeming  the  expense  more  than  equal  to  the 
benefit  derived;  and  one  that  desired  a  new  incor- 
poration that  could  shake  off  all  but  the  just  claims 
against  the  old  corporation,  and  by  a  better  system 
of  revenue  provide  for  its  support,  and  for  discharg- 
ing all  just  obligations  and  relieve  the  trustees  from 
their  liability  on  contracts,  as  well  as  to  reimburse 
them  for  cash  paid  out. 

A  petition  was  accordingly  presented  to  the 
county  court,  January  8,  1856,  asking  that  the 
town  be  declared  disincorporated,  upon  which,  how- 
ever, the  court  took  no  action.  The  machinery  of 
the  city  government  continued  to  move  until  the 
term  of  the  trustees  expired,  about  which  time  its 
vital  spark  was  extinguished  by  the  supreme  court. 
Under  the  same  law  had  also  been  incorporated  a 


JEROME  CHURCHILL, 
The  subject  of  this  sketch,  one  of  the  successful 
financiers  of  Siskiyou  county,  was  born  at  Eliza- 
bethtown,  Essex  county,  New  York,  on  the  eleventh 
day  of  June,  1826.  He  is  a  son  of  Jesse  and  Martha 
(McCauley)  Churchill.  The  family  consisted  of  four 
children.  The  parents  were  farmers,  and  Jerome 
remained  at  home  working  on  the  farm  and  attend- 
ing school  some  in  winters,  as  was  the  custom  in 
early  days.  When  he  was  still  quite  young  his 
parents  removed  to  Canandaigua,  and  in  1839  to 
Chicago,  Illinois,  where  they  are  yet  living  at  a  ripe 
old  age.  In  1849,  Mr.  Churchill  crossed  the  plains 
to  California,  arriving  at  Lassen's  ranch  in  Septem- 
ber, going  from  there  to  Sacramento  and  to  Auburn, 
where  he  spent  the  winter  of  1849-50.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1850  he  was  engaged  in  packing  from  Hum- 


boldt bay  to  Trinity.  In  May  or  June,  of  1851,  he 
came  to  Yreka,  and  packed  from  the  Sacramento 
valley  to  Yreka.  In  a  short  time  he  opened  a  store, 
and  during  the  first  year  of  his  merchandising  was 
burned  out  twice.  In  1859  he  retired  from  business 
and  has  since  made  money-loaning  his  chief  occupa- 
tion, devoting  some  time  to  the  supervising  of  three 
extensive  ranches,  in  which  he  holds  a  controlling 
interest.  He  married  Miss  Julia  Patterson,  daughter 
of  Warren  Patterson  of  Waukegan,  Lake  county, 
Illinois,  and  by  this  union  there  have  been  five  chil- 
dren, viz. :  Carrie  M.,  deceased,  two  who  died  in 
infancy,  and  Jerome  and  Jesse  who  are  living  at  the 
home  in  Yreka.  Mr.  Churchill  has  never  sought 
political  honors,  but  public  affairs  have  received  his 
attention,  and  all  movements  for  the  benefit  of  the 
county  his  encouragement  and  support.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican. 


,„J 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


201 


great  many  towns  in  the  State,  among  others  being 
Nevada  City.  A  man  was  arrested  there  for  some 
misdemeanor,  and  employed  Hon.  William  Stewart, 
afterwards  United  States  Senator  from  Nevada,  to 
defend  him.  Bill  Stewart,  as  he  was  generally 
called,  threatened  to  "  bust  the  government "  unless 
his  client  was  discharged.  His  threat  was  not 
heeded,  and  he  had  quo  warranto  proceedings 
instituted  by  the  attorney  general,  which  resulted 
in  a  decision  by  the  supreme  court,  early  in  1856, 
that  the  law  under  which  the  town  was  incorporated 
was  unconstitutional,  the  constitution  not  conferring 
such  powers  upon  the  county  judge.  Among  the 
numerous  towns  affected  by  this  decision  was  Yreka. 

The  business  men  and  responsible  citizens  of  the 
town,  then  requested  the  sheriff"  to  create  a  deputy, 
whose  duty  it  should  be  to  act  as  town  marshal, 
and  who  should  be  paid   by  subscription  of   citizens. 

Efforts  were  male  to  have  the  town  incorporated 
under  an  Act  of  the  legislature,  passed  that  year, 
to  take  the  place  of  the  one  overthrown  by  the 
supreme  court.  To  this  end  the  following  petition 
was  prepared  and  presented:— 

To  the  Honorable,  the  President  of  the  Board  op  Super- 
visors for  Siskiyou  County: — 

The  undersigned,  your  petitioners,  respectfully  represent  that 
the  "  Inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Yreka  City,"  in  this  county, 
were  sought  to  be  incorporated  under  the  laws  existing  prior  to 
the  passage  of  an  Act  entitled  ■"  An  Act  to  Provide  for  the  Incor- 
poration of  Towns,"  approved  April  19,  1S56,  and  that  at  the 
time  of  the  passage  of  said  Act,  exercised  the  franchise  of  a 
municipal  corporation,  and  that  the  undersigned  were  a  majority 
of  the  acting  Board  of  Trustees  of  said  town  of  Yreka  City, 
under  that  organization. 

Wherefore  your  petitioners  pray  that  you  will  grant  an  order 
incorporating  said  town,  according  to  Section  sixteen  of  said  Act, 
with  the  metes  and  bounds,  and  according  to  the  plat  hereto 
annexed,  which  is  made  a  part  of  this  petition. 

John  D.  Cook, 
J.  Lytle  Cummins, 
P.  G.  Hearn, 
Yreka,  August  4,  1856.  A.  V.  Gillett. 

A  numerously  signed  petition  was  presented  to  the 
board  of  supervisors,  requesting  that  no  action  be 
taken  in  the  matter.  The  signers  of  this  were  of  two 
classes:  those  who  did  not  want  the  town  incor- 
porated at  all,  and  those  who  deemed  the  present 
law  no  better  than  the  old  one,  and  so  thought  it 
folly  to  invoke  its  aid.  The  matter  was  considered 
on  the  fourteenth  of  August,  1856,  as  the  following 
extract  from  the  proceedings  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors will  explain : — 

And  now  comes  the  consideration  of  the  petition  of  citizens  to 
the  President  of  the  Board,  to  incorporate  the  town  of  Ireka. 
Whereupon,  the  President  after  mature  deliberation,  refused  to 
grant  said  petition,  on  the  ground  that  in  the  opinion  of  the 
President  the  law  is  not  sufficiently  clear  to  him  that  any  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  has  a  right  to  act  without  a  majority  of  the 
Board  sanction  such  action;  further,  that  it  appears  to  the  Presi- 
dent from  a  counter  petition,  signed  by  a  large  majority  of  the 
inhabitants,  that  to  incorporate  the  town  would  not  meet  with 
the  approbation  or  wishes  of  the  majority  of  said  ciUzens. 

This  attempt  to  form  a  new  government  having 
failed,  holders  of  city  scrip  began  to  cast  about 
them  for  a  means  of  collecting  their  money.  1  he 
next  step  was  to  sue  the  board  of  trustees.  This 
would  have  resulted  in  saddling  the  debt  upon  h 
G  Hearn,  the  only  member  of  the  board  who  had 
any  property  that  could  be  reached  by  execution; 
and  in  order  to  save  himself  the  costs  of  suit,  he 
beo-an  cashing  such  orders  as  could  be  thus  col- 
lected, trusting  to  the  sense  of  justice  m  any  future 
26 


government  to  re-imburse  him  for  the  outlay.  I  >ne 
item  in  particular  was  that  of  $370  due  John  T. 
Rogers,  for  lumber  drawn  to  fence  the  cemetery. 
Certain  sums  had  been  subscribed  to  aid  in  paying 
for  this,  which  were  in  Dr.  Hearn's  hands  as  clerk 
of  the  board,  and  which  he  returned  to  the  parties, 
giving  notice  that  he  would  sell  the  lumber  to 
partly  repay  him  for  his  outlay  in  paying  Rogers' 
claim.  He  found  when  he  came  to  sell  that  three- 
quarters  of  the  lumber  had  been  stolen,  and  he  sold 
the  balance  on  credit.  The  account  is  still  run- 
ning. A  subscription  of  eighty-eight  dollars  was 
taken  up  to  aid  him  in  this  matter,  but  the  balance 
of  the  claim  came  from  his  pocket. 

The  next  move  by  the  friends  of  a  city  govern- 
ment was  to  apply  to  the  legislature  for  an  Act  of 
incorporation.  This  was  strongly  opposed  by  many, 
but  was  successful,  the  Act  passing  and  being 
approved  April  21,  1857.  The  provisions  of  the 
Act  were  that  the  town  of  Yreka  City  should  have 
the  boundaries  previously  surveyed;  should  have 
five  trustees,  marshal,  treasurer,  assessor,  and 
recorder,  elected  annually;  should  have  the  powers 
and  discharge  the  duties  defined  in  the  general  Act 
of  April  19,  1856;  should  not  contract  debts  to 
exceed  $3,000.  Section  7,  provided  that  the  new 
government  should  "assume  and  provide  for  the 
payment  of  the  debts  contracted  by  the  late  sup- 
posed incorporation  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Yreka 
City." 

This  last  section  was  bitterly  opposed  by  those 
who  objected  to  the  payment  of  demands  held 
against  the  old  government,  most  of  which  demands 
were  just  and  meritorious.  Among  the  opponents 
to  the  measure  was  Dr.  George  C.  Furber,  and  he 
was  requested  by  his  friends  to  be  a  candidate  for 
trustee,  it  being  their  desire  to  elect  a  board  that 
would  be  veiy  strict  in  their  allowance  of  old 
demands.  He  published  a  card  in  the  paper  declin- 
ing the  honor,  but  was  none  the  less  elected,  together 
with  a  full  board  of  one  opinion  with  himself  in  this 
matter.  The  election  was  held  May  18,  1857,  and 
resulted  in  the  choice  of  the  following  officers :  — 

Trustees— M.  B.  Callahan,  John  Loag,  George  C. 
Furber,  William  Chamberlain,  H.  E.  Stimmel. 

Marshal— W.  D.  Slade. 

Recorder — H.  H.  Riker. 

Assessor — E.  S.  Hunter. 

Treasurer — E.  Wadsworth. 

The  new  board  met  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  the 
same  month,  the  following  being  a  transcript  of  their 
proceedings : — ■ 

Yreka,   California,  May  25,  1857. 

The  elected  trustees,  viz. :  H.  E.  Stimmel,  M.  B.  Callahan, 
William  Chamberlain,  George  C  Furber,  met  at  the  court  house 
in  said  city,  at  10  A.  M.     Absent  on  business,  John  Loag. 

Organized  by  electing  George  C.  Furber  president  ot  the  board, 
M.  B°  Callahan,  secretary  of  the  board. 

Proceeded  to  business  by  action  on  bond  of  city  marshal  elect, 
William  D.  Slade.  The  bond  of  W.  D.  Slade,  city  marshal, 
signed  by  M.  B.  Callahan,  Elijah  Carrick,  and  Jerome  Churchill, 
ea°ch  one  sworn  and  qualified  in  the  separate  sum  of  $1,700,  was 
accepted  by  unanimous  vote  of  the  board. 

Ordered  that  the  city  marshal  be  authorized  to  employ  with 
himself  one  or  more  deputies,  to  act  with  himseH  as  watchmen 
at  night,  and  policemen  by  day,  to  act  under  his  direction,  and 
be  paid  as  at  present  paid,  both  himself  and  them,  by  thopnvate 
weekly  subscription  of  the  citizens  of  the  bus,,,.-  pprtionof the 
city,  it  being  the  duty  oi  the  said  marshal  and  deputies,  in  behalf 
of  thesaid  citizens,  to  wateli  for  alarms  of  fire,  as  well  as  br,  aches, 
of  the  peace. 


202 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


(Four  ordinances  in  regard  to  fast  driving,  riotous  conduct,  and 
licenses,  were  then  passed,  to  take  effect  June  1,  1S57.) 

On  motion,  ordered  that  the  board  adjourn  until  Monday, 
June  S,  1857,  at  10  A.  M.,  at  the  courthouse. 

George  C.  Furber,  President. 

M.  B.  Callahan,  Secretary. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  board  of  trustees,  held  July 
6,  1857,  the  following  action  was  taken  in  regard  to 
the  debt  of  the  former  incorporation : — 

Whereas,  The  Board  has  been  often  requested  to  take  some 
action  with  regard  to  the  acts  and  doings  of  the  former  "sup- 
posed "  Board  of  Trustees;  therefore,  Ordered,  that  G-.  W.  Pier- 
son,  Esq.,  be  employed  to  collect  and  place  in  form  all  of  the 
facts  relating  to  the  action  of  that  body,  concerning  any  labor 
done  for  them,  or  at  their  order,  by  any  individual;  or  any 
moneys  drawn  by  them,  or  by  their  order  and  direction,  from 
any  individuals;  and  all  other  items  that  he  can  obtain  with 
regard  to  the  public  doings  of  that  body;  and  of  the  debts  they 
may  have  contracted,  and  bills,  notes,  scrip,  or  any  such  instru- 
ments of  writing  or  printing,  that  they  may  have  issued;  and  of 
the  amount  of  money,  particularly,  that  they  obtained  from  the 
inhabitants  of  this  town  under  plea  or  pretense  of  lawful  taxes, 
etc.,  etc.;  and  such  information,  or  any  other  in  the  premises  that 
he  can  obtain,  to  place  in  form  on  schedule,  so  that  the  same 
may  be  available  for  examination,  discussion  or  action  by  the 
Board,  for  the  information  of  the  public,  and  the  expression  of 
public  opinion  thereon.  It  being  stated,  however,  that  the  Board 
by  this  order  shall  not  be  understood  to  adopt  or  concur  with  the 
enactment  of  Section  7th  of  the  Act  of  the  late  Legislature, 
incorporating  the  city  of  Yreka,  the  unconstitutionality  of  said 
section  being,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Board,  apparent  to  every 
citizen  on  its  very  face. 

In  connectionhe  rewith,  the  firm  of  Rossi  &  Davidson  appear 
this  day  before  the  Board  and  acknowlege  that  they  received 
from  the  said  body,  in  behalf  of  the  inhabitants,  on  a  contract 
made  with  said  firm,  the  sum  of  j?225,  and  say  that  the  said  con- 
tract was  never  fulfilled  by  said  body ;  and  that  said  firm  have 
been  put  to  much  trouble  and  great  expense  to  recover  back  their 
property;  but  the  said  firm  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  said  money 
thus  paid  to  them  was  illegally  extorted  from  the  inhabitants, 
and  therefore  they  offer  to  this  Board  to  restore  the  same,  in  ben- 
efit, to  the  town,  by  delivering  and  spreading  200  good  two- 
horse  loads  of  clean  gravel  for  the  improvement  of  the  streets, 
particularly  Miner  street,  or  other  place  that  the  Board  may 
direct.  Ordered,  that  the  above  offer  be  accepted,  and  that  H. 
E.  Stimmel  and  Wm.  Chamberlain  be  appointed  to  direct  the 
places  where  the  said  gravel  shall  be  placed. 

The  gravel  was  duly  deposited  on  Miner,  Second, 
and  Center  streets.  This  money  had  been  paid 
Rossi  &  Davidson  as  an  installment  of  the  purchase 
money  on  a  strip  of  land  now  occupied  by  the  stage 
office  and  other  buildings,  on  Fourth  street,  from 
Miner  to  Center  streets.  This  strip  had  been  pur- 
chased for  the  purpose  of  widening  the  street,  but 
when  the  town  was  disincorporated,  Rossi  &  David- 
son took  action  to  recover  the  land,  and  returned 
the  purchase  money  in  this  way.  This  accounts 
for  the  peculiar  narrowness  and  alley-like  appear- 
ance of  Fourth  street  at  this  point. 

Mr.  Pierson  made  his  report  on  the  condition  of 
the  affairs  of  the  defunct  city  government  on  the 
twentieth  of  July,  embracing  the  transactions  of  the 
board  from  May  1,  1855,  until  the  town  was  disin- 
corporated. It  showed  that  the  treasurer  had 
received  $3,823.15,  of  which  $3,330.34  had  been 
realized  from  taxes,  all  of  which  had  been  disbursed, 
leaving  the  treasurer's  books  balanced.  A  large 
portion  of  this  was  paid  on  contracts  entered  into 
before  May  1,  1855.  The  amount  of  scrip,  or  war- 
rants, issued  during  the  period  under  consideration, 
was  $7,485.17,  of  which  $4,640.26  were  still  out- 
standing.    The  report  concludes  as  follows: — 

The  scrip  issued  to  S.  S.  Brooks,  $1,511.46,  and  sixty-five  dol- 
lars issued  to  F.  G.  Hearn,  making  $1,576.46,  is  now  held  by  D. 
Isaacs,  which,  principal  and  interest  to  this  date,  amounts  to 
$2,350,  more  or  less.  This  will  increase  the  indebtedness  of  the  old 
corporation  about  $773.54,  which,  added  to  the  amount  ($4,640.26) 


before  stated,  makes  the  sum  of  $5,413.80  indebtedness  outstand- 
ing, say  nothing  of  the  interest  on  the  other  scrip  held  by  other 
individuals. 

The  Board  will  perceive  that  in  enumerating  the  indebtedness 
of  the  old  corporation  I  have  only  gone  back  to  May  1,  1855, 
indeed  that  is  as  far  back  as  any  record  evidence  exists.  But  I 
have  presented  to  me  an  order  dated  November  2,  1854,  signed 
by  VanWyck,  President,  and  A.  G.  Annibal,  Clerk,  drawn  in 
favor  of  Dorris  Fellows,  or  order,  for  sixty  dollars.  This  I  learn 
from  the  late  Treasurer,  Mr.  Morton,  to  have  been  for  the  stone 
work  near  Wood's  brick  building.  Mr.  John  Eldridge  is  now 
the  holder.  Also,  Mr.  Morton  informs  me.  that  there  is  another 
order  for  forty-six  dollars  outstanding,  drawn  before  May  1, 1855, 
in  favor  of  E.  M.  Stevens,  for  surveying  the  town  plat.  These, 
also,  are  to  be  added  to  the  foregoing  indebtedness,  increasing  it 
to  $5,519.80. 

On  the  fifth  of  October  this  matter  was  again  con- 
sidered by  the  board,  Mr.  Isaacs,  the  principal  holder 
of  scrip,  being  present  by  invitation.  After  a  full 
discussion,  it  was  decided  that  the  board  petition  the 
legislature  to  so  amend  the  objectionable  Section  7, 
as  to  allow  the  board  to  examine  all  claims,  and  to 
allow  only  such  as  they  decided  to  be  just  and 
proper.  A  compromise  was  effected,  by  means  of 
which  this  large  claim  was  disposed  of,  as  is  clearly 
set  forth  in  the  following  extract  from  the  minutes 
of  the  board,  November  30,  1857: — 

Mr.  Isaacs,  of  the  firm  of  Hollub  &  Isaacs,  relinquished  and 
abandoned,  as  void,  scrip  to  the  amount  of  $1,575.70,  and  which, 
with  the  interest  allowed  by  the  board  of  that  former  "supposed 
corporation,"  amounts  now  to  the  nominal  sum  of  $2,555.10, 
passed  the  same  over  to  the  board,  with  a  request  that  they 
would  buy  of  him  a  certain  ditch  or  sewer,  constructed  from  the 
corner  of  Center  and  Fourth  streets  to  the  junction  of  Main 
and  North  streets.  After  full  discussion  upon  the  same,  Mr. 
Isaacs  being  present  and  agreeing  to  the  same,  it  was  unani- 
mously ordered  to  be  purchased  for  the  sum  of  $1,000 — one-half 
down  and  the  remainder  in  sixty  days. 

July  10, 1859,  Dr.  Hearn  surrendered  $701  in  city 
scrip  which  he  held  for  fifty  cents  on  the  dollar,  and 
other  amounts  were  taken  up  at  the  same  valuation. 
The  last  was  paid  March  9,  1860,  and  Yreka  was 
free  from  the  old  debt. 

On  the  first  of  March,  1856,  there  was  a  grand 
jubilee  in  Yreka  over  the  completion  of  the  great 
ditch  from  Shasta  river,  and  a  few  months  later  the 
first  through  stages  from  Sacramento  received  a 
hearty  welcome.  Quite  an  extensive  fire  occurred 
on  the  night  of  October  18,  1857;  another  May  3, 
1859,  and  still  another  October  22,  1859. 

A  gas  franchise  was  granted  April  28,  1858,  to 
Samuel  P.  Fair  and  others,  which  was  forfeited,  and 
April  28,  1859,  another  was  granted  to  the  Yreka 
Gas  Company,  composed  of  A.  Pierce,  D.  E.  Knight 
and  C.  E.  Burrows.  Works  were  at  once  con- 
structed where  they  still  remain,  and  on  Saturday 
night,  the  seventeenth  of  December,  1859,  the  streets 
of  Yreka  were  first  illuminated  with  gas. 

April  28,  1860,  the  legislature  amended  the 
incorporation  Act,  adding  to  the  plat  "  a  piece  of  land 
lying  immediately  on  and  adjoining  the  westerly 
line  of  said  survey,  one-fourth  of  a  mile  in  width 
and  one  mile  in  length,  thus  making  the  area  of  said 
city  one  mile  in  length  from  north  to  south,  and 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  width  from  east  to  west." 

Several  fires  occurred  in  the  summer  of  1862,  but 
the  largest  one  was  on  the  morning  of  August  20th, 
before  daylight.  The  Arcade  saloon  and  several 
adjoining  buildings  were  burned.  A  fire  occurred 
March  7,  1865,  burning-  some  buildings  in  the  rear 
of  E.  Lauer's  brick  store. 

The    most    important    event    in    the   history    of 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


203 


Yreka   since   the    discovery  of    gold   converted   it 
from    a    wilderness   to    a   bustling    city,    and    the 
greatest   calamity  that  has   befallen  her   and  her 
people,  is  the  conflagration  of  the  fourth  of  July, 
1871.     It   happened  the  same   year    as  the  great 
Chicago  fire,  and  here,  as  there,  was  a  terrible  blow 
at  the  industry  and  prosperity  of   the  place;  and 
here,  as  there,  is  looked  back  upon  as  an  era  in  the 
history,  from  which   events  are  dated.     In  speak- 
ing of  an  occurrence  the  expression  is  often  heard, 
"Let  me  see;  that  was  two   years  after  the  fire," 
or,  "  I  know  that  was  before  the  fire,  for  I  had  the 
account,  and  my  books  were  burned."     Despite  the 
belief   that  this  was  a  death  blow  to   the   place, 
Yreka  still  lives  and  is  prosperous.     Most  of  the 
burned  district  has  been  rebuilt,  and  but  few  traces 
of  the  great  conflagration  still  remain,  among  them 
being,  however,  the  place  where  the  fire  originated. 
When  the  citizens  of  Yreka  arose  on  the  anni- 
versary   of    our    independence,    1871,    they   little 
dreamed  of  the  spectacle  the  shades  of  night  would 
rest  upon.     Joyous  and  happy  they  commenced  the 
day;  weary  and  sad  were  they  at  its  close.     There 
was  no   special  celebration  in  Yreka,  and  quite  a 
number  of  the  people  were  absent  in  Scott  valley 
and  elsewhere,  and  returned,  to  find  their  property 
in  ruins.     Small  boys  and  fire-crackers  formed  the 
surface  patriotism  and  made  the  noise  inseparable 
from  a  proper  observance  of  the  day,  and  to  these 
little    explosives   is  attributable  the  almost  entire 
destruction  of  the  town.     About  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon,  a  bunch  of  crackers  ignited  on  the  back 
porch  of  a  Chinese  wash-house  on  the  north  side  of 
Miner  street,  just  west  of  Second,  set  fire  to  that 
tinder-box,  and  in  an  instant  the  whole  structure 
was  wrapped  in  flames. 

The  alarm  was  instantly  sounded,  but  during  the 
short  interval  that  elapsed  before  the  fire  department 
appeared   on   the   scene,    the  flames    spread    with 
frightful    rapidity.      Opposite   the   place   where  it 
originated,  stood  the  old  Yreka  House,  a  heavy  frame 
structure    with   hewn  timbers,  one  of    the    earliest 
buildings  in  the  town.      It   was  formerly  a  hotel, 
but  at  this  time  was  used  as  a  stable,  and  the  upper 
part  was  full  of  hay.      The  flames  stretched  their 
scorching  arms  across  the  street,  and  seized  upon  this 
building,   the  hay   blazing   up  with   indescribable 
fierceness.      The  Colton  theater,  just   west  of    the 
wash-house,  was  also  soon  blazing,  and  by  the  time 
the  engines  were  ready  for  action  the  fire  was  burn- 
ing from  Second  to  Fourth  streets.     Chief  Engineer 
Raynes  directed  the  movements  of  the  firemen  with 
energy  and  good  judgment,  but  the  headway  the 
flames  had   made  and  the  extremely  dry  condition 
of  the  buildings,   rendered  all  efforts  to  check  the 
progress  of  the  destroyer  seemingly  futile.      Great 
sheets   of    flame   leaped   into   the   air,   their    fiery 
tongues    hissing    and    crackling.      Long    arms    ot 
scorching   red  reached  out  in  all  directions,  seized 
the  buildings  in  their  warm    embrace,   and  in  an 
instant  laid  them  in  ruins  in  their  pathway.      *  ire- 
men    citizens  and   women   worked  with  desperate 
energy,  tearing  down  fences  and  buildings  in  the 
path  of  the  flames,  carrying  water,  spreading  wet 
blankets,  and  removing  goods  and  furniture,     bven 
Chinamen  worked  at  the  engine  brakes,  an  act  so 
unusual  as  to  be  deserving  of  comment.      All  tne 


water   in  Scheld's   City  Water-works  was  turned 
into  the  cisterns  to  supply  the  great  demand  made 
upon   them    by  the  engines.      By   means    of    wet 
blankets  at  Engine  House  No.  1,  the  fire  was  pre- 
vented from  crossing  the  street  at  that  point,  so  that 
the  north  side  of  Miner  street,  above  Third,   was 
saved.      Checked  in  this  direction  the  fire  spread 
rapidly  towards  the  east  and  south,  and  consumed 
everything  between  Miner  and  Butte  streets,  Fourth 
street  and  the  creek,  including  the  Colton  theater, 
Union  House,  old  Yreka  House,  Metropolitan  Hotel, 
Catholic  church,  Odd  Fellows  Hall,  the  first  house 
built  in  the  town,  and  stores,  barns,  shops  and  resi- 
dences.    This  was  the  work  of  but  one  hour,  and 
in  that  hour  many  who  were  in  good  circumstances 
were  reduced  almost  to  poverty,  while  many  others 
lost  the   little   that   they  possessed  as  well  as  the 
means   of    procuring   more.       For    two    days    the 
engines  were  kept  at  work,  extinguishing  the  many 
smoldering  fires  that  threatened  to  break  out  anew 
and  destroy  what  had  been  spared. 

The  losses  were  great  in  number,  and  some  of  them 
great  in  amount.  A  careful  estimate  gives  the  fol- 
lowing statement: — 

McConnell  &  McManus  (store) $30,000 

Cleland  &  Walbridge  (store) 17,500 

R.  O.  DeWitt  (store) 12,000 

Odd  Fellows  Hall  . . 10,000 

Rohrer  &  Co.,  Union  Hotel 8,000 

O.  Norman  (goods) 8,000 

Lazard  Freres  (Colton  theater  and  3  bld'ngs)       6,000 

B.  Guilbert  (soda  factory) 5,000 

Fred.  Ringe  (store) 5,000 

Catholic  church  and  parsonage 4,000 

Chinese  merchants 20,000 

A   multitude    of    other    losses,    less    in ) 

amount,  in  all j     124,500 

Total  loss $250,000 

On  this  vast  amount  of  property  destroyed  there 
was  but  $75,000  insurance,  the  balance  being  a 
total  loss  to  the  owners. 

A  public  meeting  was  called  at  the  court  house 
on  the  sixth  to  take  measures  for  the  alleviation 
of  the  sufferings  of  those  deprived  of  their  means  of 
subsistence  and  to  start  them  again  in  the  race  of 
life.  It  was  a  large  gathering  and  took  energetic 
action  to  effect  its  object.  A  committee  appointed  to 
prepare  a  statement  of  the  facts  to  be  presented  to 
the  public,  made  the  following  report  :— 

To  the  Public  :— On  the  fourth  of  July,  1 S7 1 ,  one-third  of  Yreka 
was,  in  little  more  than  an  hour,  destroyed  by  hre  The  aggre- 
gate loss,  in  dollars  and  cents,  is  estimated  at  $2o0,000.  stores, 
with  every  article  of  merchandise,  blacksmith,  carpenter,  gun- 
smith, shoemaker,  carriage  and  paint  shops,  livery  stables,  lum- 
ber yards,  were  entirely  consumed,  so  that  the  town  has  not  a 
single  shop  of  but  one  or  two  of  the  above  trades  remaining  : 
and  to  this  must  be  added  the  further  fact  that  the  tools  and 
stock  of  the  above  were  lost  in  the  names,  so  that  every  mechanic 
in  the  place  is  suddenly  deprived  of  the  means  of  gamingasub- 
sL  nee  for  himself  and  family.  Besides  the  loss  to  he £n«M 
part  of  the  town,  very  great  damage  and  suffering  has  been 
brought  upon  the  families  of  a  large  aumber  of  our  citaze 
flies  anJl  houses,  with  every  article  ot  lurmtuiv.  every ,  yesbgeo 
clothins  all  provisions— in  a  word,  everything  beneath  tie  root 
was  lost  in  the  conflagration,  and  so  suddenly  did  the  Barnes, 
driven  by  a  high  wind?  burst  upon  them,  that  the  utmost  «e^ 
tiols  coukl  barely  save  the  lives  of  the  inmates.  Many  families 
arTleft  homelessfhouseless,  and  Eoodless,  while  those  upon .whom 
they  depend  for  support  have,  by  the  lire,  been  deprived  of  every 
means  of  livelihood. 


204 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


It  is  impossible  to  enumerate  by  statistical  statement  the  want 
and  suffering  thus  untimely  brought  to  our  doors  ;  but  so  general 
has  been  the  loss  and  desolation,  that  those  of  our  citizens  who 
have  escaped  the  flames  can  do  little  more  than  meet  the  imme- 
diate wants  of  the  sufferers,  and  every  energy  of  our  community 
is  taxed  to  the  utmost  to  provide  food,  clothing,  and  shelter  for 
the  destitute. 

The  undersigned,  therefore,  as  a  committee  appointed  at  a 
meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Yreka,  on  July  G,  1S71,  forthe  purpose, 
put  forth  this  statement,  and  appeal  to  a  generous  and  charitable 
people  to  aid  us  in  relieving  the  deserving  and  destitute  sufferers, 
assuring  all  that  need  is  great  and  the  charity  a  most  worthy  one; 
and  we  further  assure  all  that  contributions  will  be  faithfully 
applied  to  the  relief  of  the  suffering. 

L.  N.  Ketcham,      "1 

C.  Edgerton, 

E.  Shearer,  \  Committee. 

Joseph  Hammond, 

A.  M.  Rosborough 

This  report  was  adopted,  and  issued  as  a  petition 
for  aid,  both  in  this  vicinity  and  in  San  Francisco. 
Agents  were  appointed  in  every  town  in  the  county, 
to  receive  and  forward  contributions.  A  relief  com- 
mittee of  nine  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of  all 
funds  and  supplies  contributed  and  to  make  proper 
and  judicious  distribution  of  them.  This  committee, 
whose  acts  covered  a  space  of  two  years,  and 
embraced  many  cases  of  suffering  occurring  subse- 
quent to  the  fire,  was  composed  of  Dr.  E.  Wadsworth, 
president;  M.  Sleeper,  secretary;  Dr.  Daniel  Ream, 
Hon.  William  Irwin,  C.  H.  Pyle,  Robert  Nixon,  Will- 
iam Stine,  J.  S.  Cleland,  John  C.  Burgess,  and 
Father  Farley. 

Supplies  and  cash  soon  came  pouring  in  upon  the 
committee  from  all  sides.  These  were  carefully  dis- 
tributed, and  the  money  apportioned  among  those 
who  had  lost  their  all,  so  as  to  give  each  one  enough 
to  enable  him  to  earn  his  living  at  his  usual  avocation 
and  to  provide  for  his  family.  The  largest  cash  sub- 
scription came  from  San  Francisco,  where  Hon.  L. 
M.  Foulke,  supervisor  of  internal  revenue  and 
formerly  a  senator  from  this  county,  aided  by  Gen. 
D.  D.  Colton  and  Louis  Livingston,  succeeded  in  col- 
lecting  from  old  residents  of  Siskiyou  county  over 
$5,000.  The  contributions,  consisting  of  cash,  flour, 
lumber,  shakes  and  other  goods,  as  near  as  can  be 
ascertained,  were  as  follows: — 

CASH. 

San  Francisco $5,086  00 

Yreka 1,132  00 

Fort  Jones 423  00 

Scott  Bar 335  00 

Red  Bluff 314  00 

Jacksonville 301  00 

Humbug 180  00 

Etna 174  00 

Rock  Point 118  00 

McAdams  Creek 101  75 

South  Fork 100  00 

Shasta  Valley  and  Butteville 97  50 

Henly  or  Cottonwood 28  00 

Gazelle  or  Edson's 25  00 

Soda  Springs 20  00 

Willow  Springs 11   00 

Miscellaneous 204  75 

Total  cash $8,650  00 

GOODS. 

Yreka $  145  00 

Butteville  or  Edgewood 264  50 


Fort  Jones 83  00 

Henly  or  Cottonwood 50  37 

Jacksonville 27  00 

Etna 26  00 

Willow  Creek 7  50 

Total  value  of  goods %  603  37 

FLOUR. 

Jacksonville 14,900  lbs 

Willow  Springs 3,100  lbs 

Rock  Point 2,000  lbs 

Ashland 2,000  lbs 

Gasburg 1,500  lbs 

Total  flour 23,500  lbs 

The  total  subscription  amounted  to  nearly  ten 
thousand  dollars  and  for  two  years  the  relief  com- 
mittee managed  its  distribution,  receiving  the  well- 
merited  thanks  of  the  whole  community.  The 
money,  besides  that  spent  in  purchasing  immediate 
necessities,  was  apportioned  to  thirty-five  families 
and  firms  in  sums  of  from  fifty  to  eight  hundred 
dollars,  and  was  the  means  of  placing  many  on  their 
feet,  who  had  fallen  beneath  the  blow  inflicted  by 
the  demon  fire. 

Many  good  and  substantial  buildings  have  taken 
the  places  of  those  swept  away  by  the  destroying 
flames,  while  in  places  the  ravages  of  the  fire  can  be 
plainly  seen.  The  new  structures  in  the  business 
portion  of  the  town,  are  substantial  brick  buildings, 
while  many  good  residences  have  been  built.  Since 
the  fire  have  also  been  built  a  Masonic  Hall,  Odd 
Fellows  Hall,  Red  Men  Hall,  Catholic  church,  Epis- 
copal church,  and  jail. 

In  1872  the  town  site  was  surveyed  by  A.  M. 
Jones,  and  a  United  States  patent  was  applied  for, 
which  was  received  after  considerable  delay,  a  re- 
survey  being  made  for  that  purpose  in  1874,  by  A. 
McKay. 

On  the  afternoon  of  September  25,  1878,  the 
Chinese  quarters  were  burned  from  Main  street  to 
the  creek,  and  from  Miner  to  Center  streets.  By 
great  exertion  the  fire  was  confined  to  that  locality. 

The  last  fire  occurred  on  Saturday  afternoon, 
about  six  o'clock,  June  25,  1881,  when  Lawton  & 
Skinner's  foundry  was  completely  destroyed.  It  is 
now  being  rebuilt  with  brick,  and  will  be  one  of  the 
most  complete  in  the  State. 

The  season  of  greatest  prosperity  in  Yreka  was 
from  1855  to  1857.  The  population  was  then  about 
5,000,  and  at  the  presidential  election  in  1856  there 
were  cast  1128  votes  in  this  precinct.  According  to 
the  last  census  the  population  is  but  1059. 

Yreka  to-day  has  three  churches,  a  fine  school 
building,  court  house,  jail,  hotel,  eighteen  stores,  two 
markets,  three  shoe  shops,  six  blacksmith  shops, 
stage  repair  shops,  bank,  jeweler,  Masonic  Hall, 
Red  Men  Hall,  Odd  Fellows  Hall,  a  weekly  and  a 
semi-weekly  papers,  telegraph  office,  express  office, 
two  breweries,  tailor,  several  dressmakers,  pho- 
tograph gallery,  livery  stable,  gas-works,  foundry, 
saddlery  shop,  two  engine  houses,  three  physicians, 
six  attorneys,  several  saloons,  and  many  other 
things  that  go  to  make  up  a  town. 

Yreka  is  the  supply  point  for  a  large  region,  and 
business  is  much  better  than  the  size  of  the  town 


r  Sp>~ — -> 


DANIEL  TESH. 


Peter  Tesh,  father  of  Daniel,  was  of  German 
descent  and  was  born  near  New  Lisbon,  Ohio. 
Daniel's  mother,  Elizabeth,  was  a  native  of  the  Ger- 
man speaking  portion  of  Switzerland.  They  are 
now  living  at  Allegheny  City,  Pennsylvania.  Dan- 
iel was  born  at  Pittsburg,  April  1, 1839.  When  ten 
years  of  age  he  astonished  his  parents  by  suddenly 
leaving  on  an  Ohio  river  steamer  as  cabin  boy.  He 
made  several  trips  to  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans 
and  returned  home  in  six  months.  For  seven  years 
he  was  engaged  with  his  brothers,  William,  Peter, 
Joseph  and  David,  in  shipping  cattle  to  Philadelphia 
and  New  York,  in  their  father's  interest.  In  the 
latter  place  the  California  fever  seized  him,  and  with 
William  Beard,  John  Snider,  Michael  Weltenberger 
and  Joseph  — ■■ — ,  he  sailed  on  the  Star  of  the  West, 
crossed  the  Isthmus  and  took  the  John  L.  Stevens 
for  San  Francisco.  He  came  at  once  to  Yreka, 
arriving  April  1,  1856,  just  seventeen  years  of  age. 
His  first  business  was  the  making  of  posts  with  caps 
for  drift  mining,  at  ten  cents  each,  which  brought 
him  about  four  dollars  per  day.  Three  months  later 
he  was  installed  as  clerk  of  the  St.  Charles  Hotel, 
Peter  Lee  Guvelle,  proprietor,  where  he  flourished 
two  years.  Since  then  he  has  been  in  various  enter- 
prises, chief  of  which  was  a  trip  to  Idaho  City  with 
thirty  people  from  Yreka,  where  he  arrived  Decem- 
ber 8,  1863,  in  a  terrible  snow-storm.  At  the  lower 
ferry  of  Snake  river  Dan  nearly  lost  his  life,  his 
horse  being  swamped  in  a  whirlpool.  Sim.  Old- 
ham saved  him  by  riding  his  horse  into  the  torrent. 
On  a  prospecting  trip  he  also  had  his  feet  badly 
frozen.  In  September,  1864,  with  three  others,  he 
returned  to  Yreka,  traveling  only  at  night,  to  avoid 


2>3 

hostile  renegade  Snake  and  Bannock  Indians.  Since 
that  time  he  has  made  his  home  in  Yreka,  occasion- 
ally taking  "business  trips  from  San  Diego  to  Cari- 
boo." He  has  catered  to  the  public  since  1864  with 
a  first-class  stock  of  liquors  and  cigars  at  his  saloon 
connected  with  the  Franco-American  Hotel.  The 
leading  papers  are  kept  on  file  and  the  place  is  so 
conducted  as  to  invite  the  patronage  of  Yreka's  most 
substantial  citizens.  Two  years  ago  he  undertook, 
with  Elijah  Clark,  a  mining  venture,  a  placer  mine 
on  Greenhorn,  which  is  worked  only  in  the  wet  sea- 
son, and  pays  well.  November  2,  1879,  he  married 
Miss  Louisa,  daughter  of  George  Fried,  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  Yreka.  Their  residence  on  Lane  street 
forms  one  of  the  illustrations  of  this  volume.  Dan 
is  known  to  both  old  and  young  as  a  prince  of  good 
fellows,  and  hasa  Munchausen  reputation  for  veracity 
in  story -telling  that  is  ably  maintained  by  the  fol- 
lowing yarn:  He  says  he  was  driving  stage  from 
Tucson  to  Willow  Springs,  Arizona,  when  drivers 
were  made  away  with  daily  by  Apache  Indians.  Of 
course  all  his  trips  were  safely  made,  but  the  speed 
was  so  terrific  that  passengers  were  occasionally  lost 
overboard  from  the  upper  deck  into  the  sandy  bil- 
lows of  the  desert.  On  his  last  drive  he  lost  a  lady 
over  the  rail  in  a  terrible  sand-storm,  while  being 
pursued  by  wolves.  After  circling  around  for  her 
several  times,  she  was  given  up  for  lost.  On  his 
return  trip  he  looked  for  her  again,  but  could  find 
only  her  tongue,  which  was  sticking  in  a  sage-brush 
and  vibrating  with  a  wiggly  woggly  motion,  like 
the  pendulum  of  a  clock.  It  wouldn't  stop.  The 
wolves  had  eaten  everything  else  and  departed.  This 
was  too  much  for  Dan.  He  thew  up  his  position 
and  started  at  once  for  San  Francisco. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


20r> 


would  lead  one  to  suppose.  As  an  idea  of  the 
amount  of  business,  the  following  record  of  the  post- 
office  for  the  first  week  in  December,  1880,  is 
given: — 

Lettei-s        forwarded 859 

Postal-cards       "  62 

Newspapers       "  1669 

Other  articles    "  122 

Total 2712 

Many  interesting  events  in  the  history  of  Yreka 
will  be  found  in  other  portions  of  this  volume. 

CHURCHES. 

In  the  month  of  September,  1851,  Grove  K.  God- 
frey held  the  first  religious  services  in  Yreka,  in  a 
log  cabin,  on  the  corner  of  Miner  and  Oregon  streets. 
Being  a  Unitarian,  his  sermon  was  not  such  as  to 
strike  terror  into  the  hearts  of  sinners.  In  the 
winter  of  1854-55  the  present  Methodist  church 
was  built,  and  being  the  only  one  in  town  received 
the  support  of  every  one.  Its  days  of  popularity 
have  long  since  passed,  and  its  present  dilapidated  con- 
dition shows  only  two  well  the  want  of  a  proper 
religious  sentiment  in  the  community. 

In  the  fall  of  1855,  a  frame  Catholic  church  was 
erected  under  the  care  of  Father  Cassin,  and  in  1866 
a  new  brick  structure  took  its  place.  This  was 
burned  in  the  fire  of  1871,  with  the  parsonage  which 
stood  next  to  it.  The  present  handsome  church  is 
just  being  finished  on  the  inside,  and  is  a  substantial 
brick  structure.  The  attendance  on  the  services 
here  is  large  as  compared  with  the  other  denomina- 
tions. 

In  the  fall  of  1859,  an  Episcopal  society  was  or- 
ganized, with  a  vestry  composed  of  E.  Wadsworth, 
W.  D.  Fair,  and  F.  C.  Horsley.  A  pastor  could  not 
be  obtained.  Episcopal  services  have  from  time  to 
time  been  held  in  the  court  house,  and  this  spring  a 
handsome  frame  church  edifice  was  completed  on  the 
corner  of  Fourth  and  Lane  streets,  on  the  site  of  the 
old  Metropolitan  Hotel.  Rev.  T.  G.  Williams  is  rec- 
tor. 

In  the  month  of  February,  1864,  a  Baptist  society 
was  organized  by  Rev.  Mr.  Farrur,  who  became  pas- 
tor, and  preached  in  the  court  house.  It  was  not 
long  supported. 

In  December,  1864,  Rev.  William  H.  Cain  organ- 
ized a  Presbyterian  church,  and  held  services  in  the 
court  house.  The  officers  were  W.  S.  Mallory,  A. 
M.  Rosborough,  C.  S.  Moore,  J.  S.  Cleland,  M.  Short, 
and  M.  G.  Booth.  The  next  year,  Rev.  Robert  Mc- 
Cullough  became  pastor.  Services  were  soon  after 
discontinued. 

YKEKA   CITY   OFFICERS. 

1854-55. 

Trustees— H.  D.   Van  Wyck,  A.  G.  Annibal,  E. 
C.  Kelley,  D.  B.  Sandborn,  M.  M.  Conant. 
Treasurer — A.  V.  Burns. 

Marshal— S.  Ely. 
Assessor — J.  W.  A'Neal. 

1855-56. 

Trustees— R.  B.  Snelling,  A  V.  Gillett,  J.  Lytic 
Cummins,  John  D.  Cook,  F.  G.  Hearn. 
Treasurer — William  Morton. 


Marshal—  Orland  Eddy. 

Assessor — *Henry  Kennedy — C.  W.  Tozer. 

"Did  net  qualify  :  special  election  in  .lime  resulted  in  choice 
of  0.  W.  Tozer. 

1856-57. 

No  city  government  existed. 
1857-58. 
Trustees— M.   B.    Callahan,    George   C.    Furber, 
William  Chamberlain,  John  Loag,  H.  E.  Stimmel. 
Recorder— *H.  H.  Riker. 
Treasurer — E.  Wadsworth. 
Marshal— W.  D.  Slade. 
Assessor — E.  S.  Hunter. 

Resigned  *June  22d,  legality  of  his  election  being  questioned. 

1858-59. 
Trustees — William    Morton,  W.  S.  Moses,  J.  B. 
Oldham,  — Alexander. 
Recorder — 

Treasurer — E.  Wadsworth. 
Marshal — Alexander  Coryell. 
Assessor — Robert  Dickson. 

1859-60. 
Trustees— George  C.  Furber,  *F.  C.  Horsley,  E. 
Wadsworth,  J.  Lytle  Cummins,  Henry  Pape. 
Recorder — -f\D.  H.  Hanrahan. 
Treasurer — R.  Greathouse. 
Marshal — A.  R.  Coryell. 
Assessor — jH.  Brooks. 

*Failed  to  qualify.     Re-elected  June  1,  1S59. 
tDuties  were  discharged  alternately  by   H.  B.  Warren  and 
Geo.  W.  Pierson.  Justices  of  the  Peace. 

^Resigned  January,  1860.     Win.  McConuell  elected. 

1860-61. 
Trustees— John    S.    Peck,   J.    S.    Cleland,   J.    S. 
Green,  *J  M.  Heath,  W.  S.  Moses. 
Recorder — None  elected. 
Treasurer — Charles  Peters. 
Marshal— F.  M.  Ranous. 
Assessor — A.  V.  Burns 

*Resigned  February  18,  1861. 

1S61-62. 
Trustees— W.  S.  Moses,  J.  S.  Peck,  A.  D.  Crooks, 
R.  O.  DeWitt,  W.  W.  Powers. 
Recorder — None  elected. 
Treasurer — Charles  Peters. 
Marshal— *J.  B.  Oldham. 
Assessor — H.  M.  Reid. 
City  Attorney — Elijah  Steele. 

•Resigned  in  February,   1862.     Gilbert  Lanphicr  appoiuted. 

1862-63. 
Trustees — Henry  Scheld,  Jacob  Martin,  M.  Ham- 
berger,  Henry  Wadsworth,  W.  W.  Powers. 
Recorder — S.  M.  Farren. 
Treasurer — Charles  Peters. 
Marshal — Gilbert  Lanphier. 
Assessor — D.  A.  Jencks. 

1863-64. 
Trustees — Asher    Ent,    Henry      Pape,     Charles 
Linker,  D.  McClintock,  *H.  K.  White. 
Recorder — S.  M.  Farren. 
Treasurer — Charles  Peters. 
Marshal— R.  H.  Turnbull. 
Assessor — "fD.  A.  Jencks. 

"Office  declared  vacant.     John  Kclch  elected  January  27,  1864. 
tOUice  declared  vacant.    Horace  Ueining  elected  January  27,  186-1. 


206 


HISTOEY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


1864-65. 
Trustees — J.   S.    Cleland,    Henry   Pape,   Charles 
Iunker,  Asher  Ent,  Louis  Huseinan. 
Recorder— E.  W.  Potter. 
Treasurer — Charles  Peters. 
Marshal — Henry  M.  Reid. 
Assessor — Horace  Deming. 

1865-66. 
Trustees— J.    S.   Fellows,  C.   S.   Moore,  William 
Irwin,  William  E.  Watson,  L.  Swan. 
Recorder— E.  W.  Potter. 
Treasurer — E.  Wadsworth. 
Marshal— H.  M.  Reid. 
Assessor — W.  M.  Snider. 

1866-67. 
Trustees— *August    Berggren,    H.    T.     Shepard, 
*Frank  Whittier,  *F.  G.  Hearn,  -George  Fried. 

*Berggren,  Hearn  and  Whittier  did  not  qualify.     E.  Lauer, 
A.  J.  Hitzelberger  and  A.  Witherill  were  elected  May  26,  1866. 

Recorder — E.  W.  Potter. 
Treasurer — Henry  Wadsworth. 
Marshal — E.  J.  Jackson. 
Assessor — E.  V.  Brown. 

1867-68. 

Trustees — A.  J.  Hitzelberger,  Herman  Pfenninger, 
A.  Witherill,  M.  Sleeper,  Jacob  Martin. 
Recorder — E.  W.  Potter. 
Treasurer — H.  Wadsworth. 
Marshal — NE.  J.  Jackson. 
Assessor — E.  V.  Brown. 

1868-69. 

Trustees — Herman  Pfenninger,  J.  Hager,  Adolph 
Winckler,  James  Vance,  Henry  Scheld. 
Recorder — Thomas  A.  Bantz. 
Treasurer — H.  Wadsworth. 
Marsha] — E.  J.  Jackson. 
Assessor — A.  E.  Paine. 

1869-70. 
Trustees — Henry  Scheld,  Herman  Pfenninger,  J. 
W.  Thompson,  E.  Carrick,  James  Clarkson. 
Recorder — Thomas  A.  Bantz. 
Treasurer — H.  Wadsworth. 
Marshal — E.  J.  Jackson. 
Assessor — A.  E.  Paine. 

1870-71. 

Trustees— M.  Miner,  J.    S.  Cleland,  M.    Sleeper, 

John   Walter,  George  Fried. 

Recorder — Thomas  A.  Bantz. 

Treasurer — H.  Wadsworth. 

Marshal — *E.  J.  Jackson. 

Assessor — A.  E.  Paine. 

*  Resigned  July  28th;-  deficiency   of    $61S.40  paid   by   his 
bondsmen.     Charles  Roth  appointed. 

1871-72. 
Trustees— Charles  Peters,  Jerome  Churchill,    F. 
Ringe,  Austin  Hawkins,  G.  A.  Nordheim. 
Recorder — Thomas  A.  Bantz. 
Treasurer — H.  Wadsworth. 
Marshal— Charles  Roth. 
Assessor — William  Peters. 

1872-73. 
Trustees — Jerome  Churchill,   Louis  Huseman,  J. 


M.  C.  Jones,  William  Duenkel,  James  Vance. 
Recorder— *E.  W.  Potter. 
Treasurer — H.  Wadsworth. 
Marshal — Charles  D.  Smith. 
Assessor — -f-William  Peters. 

*  Died;  E.  V.  Brown  appointed  November  8,  1872. 
+  Louis  Monnet  appointed  in  February,  1873. 

1873-74. 

Trustees — Jerome    Churchill,    Louis    Huseman, 
William  Duenkel,  J.  M.  C.  Jones,  James  Vance. 

Recorder — E.  V.  Brown. 

Treasurer — H.  Wadsworth. 

Marshal — N.  Schlagel. 

Assessor — Louis  Monnet.    ' 
1874-75. 

Trustees — Jerome    Churchill,    Louis    Huseman, 
James  Vance,  J.  M.  C.  Jones,  William  Duenkel. 

Recorder — E.  V.  Brown. 

Treasurer — E.  Wadsworth. 

Marshal — N.  Schlagel. 

Assessor — Louis  Monnet. 

1875-76. 
Trustees — Jerome  Churchill,  L.  Huseman,  James 
Vance,  J.  M.  C.  Jones,  Austin  Hawkins. 
Recorder — E.  V.  Brown. 
Treasurer — E.  Wadsworth. 
Marshal — P.  A.  Olmstead. 
Assessor — E.  H.  Autenrieth. 

1876-77. 

Trustees— R.   0.  DeWitt,    Henry  Scheld,  A.  E. 
Paine,  Britton  Irwin,  Charles  Iunker. 

Recorder — Thomas  A.  Bantz. 

Treasurer — E.  Wadsworth. 

Marshal— P.  A.  Olmstead. 

Assessor — E.  H.  Autenrieth. 
1877-78. 

Trustees— R  O.   DeWitt,  A.  E.   Paine,    Charles 
Iunker,  Henry  Scheld,  John  Uerlings. 

Recorder — E.  V.  Brown. 

Treasurer — Charles  Peters. 

Marshal — William  Thompson. 

Assessor — E.  H.  Autenrieth. 
1878-79. 

Trustees — Jerome  Churchill,  Maurice  Renner,  M. 
Sleeper,  A.  E.  Paine,  John  Pashburg. 

Recorder — Thomas  A.  Bantz. 

Treasurer — Charles  Peters. 

Marshal — William  Thompson. 

Assessor — *E.  H.  Autenrieth 

*Resigned — Henry  Kessler  elected  December  23,  1878. 

1879-80. 


Trustees— 
E.  Paine,  L. 

Recorder- 
Treasurer- 
Marshal — 
Assessor — 

Trustees- 
Swan,  A.  E. 
Recorder- 
Treasurer- 
Marshal- 
Assessor- 


-Jerome  Churchill,  John  Pashburg,  A- 

Swan,  Theobald  Young. 

-E.  V.  Brown. 

—Charles  Peters. 

William  Thompson. 

Henry  Kessler. 

1880-81. 


-Jerome   Churchill,    Jacob    Martin, 
Paine,  Theobald  Young. 
— E.  V.  Brown. 
— Maurice  Renner. 
-Claus  Schnackenburg. 
-Henry  Kessler. 


L. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


1881-82. 
Trustees— A.  E.  Paine,  Jacob  Martin,  A.  Haw- 
kins, Joseph  Rice,  C.  J.  Munro. 
Recorder — E.  V.  Brown. 
Treasurer — Maurice  Renner. 
Marshal— John  G.  Hallick. 
Assessor — -George  H.  Peck. 


GREENHORN. 

The  early  discoveries  on  Greenhorn  and  work 
done  there  prior  to  the  springing  up  of  Yreka,  have 
all  been  fully  detailed.  At  the  time  the  Yreka 
mines  were  discovered,  in  March,  1851,  a  few  men 
were  at  work  on  Greenhorn,  and  mining  has  never 
ceased,  though  but  little  is  being  clone  there  now. 

Although  distinct  from  Yreka,  and  for  a  time 
given  a  voting  precinct  of  its  own,  it  has  always 
depended  upon  that  town  for  its  supplies,  to  a  large 
extent.  Wheeler  had  a  trading-post  some  distance 
up  the  creek,  which  was  headquarters  for  the  miners 
along  the  stream.  It  was  purely  and  simply  a 
mining  community,  scattered  in  little  cabins  along 
the  stream.  The  town  was  at  Yreka,  and  but  a  few 
minutes  walk.  Very  few  families  could  be  found 
there,  and  the  men  were  as  reckless  and  independent 
a  set  as  was  ever  found  in  a  place  of  that  kind. 
Many  of  their  doings  have    been  detailed  elsewhere. 

Several  hundred  men  worked  along  the  steam  a 
number  of  years,  gradually  decreasing  as  the  ground 
was  worked  out,  until  now  a  dozen  claims,  most  of 
them  small,  and  the  majority  in  the  hands  of  Chinese, 
make  up  the  sum  of  mining  there. 

But  a  few  days  after  the  Yreka  discovery,  Robert 
Atherton,  E.  Steele,  Steve  Watson  and  nine  others, 
formed  a  company  and  located  on  Greenhorn.  In 
the  company  were  a  man  and  his  wife,  who  had  been 
transported  from  England  to  Australia  for  some 
crime,  and  had  come  from  there  to  California,  a 
class  known  in  the  mines  as  "Sidney  clucks."  The 
woman  did  the  cooking  and  did  the  banking,  all  the 
gold  taken  from  the  claim  being  deposited  with  her. 
She  rendered  faithful  account  of  her  stewardship, 
and  not  so  much  as  a  "pinch"  of  dust  was  ever 
found  to  be  missing.  A  "  pinch  "  was  considered  the 
equivalent  of  a  drink  of  whisky. 

Following  upon  the  heels  of  this  company  came 
many  others,  who  ran  up  and  down  the  creek  locat- 
ing claims,  and  so  eager  were  they  that  by  some  the 
stream  was  called  Race  creek.  One  company  of 
experienced  miners  dug  a  ditch  some-  distance  back 
from  the  creek,  but  finding  their  claims  unprofitable, 
had  abandoned  both  them  and  the  ditch.  A  new 
arrival,  a  greenhorn,  was  sent  up  the  hill  by  some 
miners  whom  he  asked  where  he  would  find  a  good 
place  to  work.  They  had  directed  him  up  there  as 
a  joke.  He  went  as  told  and  began  to  work  in  the 
abandoned  ditch.  He  "struck  it  rich,"  but  said 
nothing.  As  no  one  dreamed  there  was  anything 
there,  the  joke  grew  bigger  and  bigger  daily,  and 
when  they  found  that  he  had  been  quietly  working 
the  richest  ground  along  the  creek,  the  joke  became 
so  huge  that  there  was  a  rush  for  claims  on  the  new 
lead,  and  to  perpetuate  the  joke  the  creek  was  bap- 
tized Greenhorn. 

By  general  consent  Judge  Steele  was  chosen  to 
act  as  alcalde  of  this  district,  but  nothing  of  impor- 


207 

tance  occurred,  and  ho  was  superseded  in  the  fall  by 
the  justices  regularly  elected  in  the  township. 

HAWKINSVILLE. 

This  little  town  lies  two  miles  north  of  Yreka  on 
the  Oregon  stage  road,  and  is  the  concentration  of 
the  little  mining  camps  of  Long  gulch,  Rich  gulch, 
Canal  gulch,  Rocky  gulch,  and  others  in  the  vicinity, 
which  are  now  worked  out,  but  were  once  the  scene 
of  busy  mining  operations. 

When  the  rush  was  made  to  the  Yreka  mines,  in 
the  early  spring  of  1851,  men  camped  all  along  the 
creek,  clear  to  Hawkinsville.  Gold  was  discovered 
and  worked  on  the  creek  that  spring,  and  a  little 
place  called  Frogtown  became  the  center  of  trade  for 
miners  at  that  point.  Mrs.  Coombs  had  a  trading- 
post  and  boarding-house  there,  and  Mr.  Bird  kept  a 
store.  McBride's  gulch,  between  Spanish  ridge  and 
Rocky  gulch,  was  worked  by  McBride  in  1851,  but 
it  was  not  till  the  next  year  that  work  to  any 
amount  was  clone  on  the  flats  and  gulches.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1852,  A.  E.  Schwatka,  E.  M.  Anthony,  and  a 
few  others,  struck  the  celebrated  McCoy  diggings  in 
Rocky  gulch,  which  drew  many  to  the  spot  and  soon 
filled  the  flats  and  gulches  with  a  crowd  of  miners. 
At  the  time  these  diggings  were  found,  a  few  men 
were  at  work  on  the  flats  and  gulches,  among  whom 
were  Thomas  Bantz,  D.  D.  Colton,  R.  M.  Martin, 
and  J.  W.  Tuttle. 

Trading-posts  were  opened  in  several  of  the 
gulches,  and  business  was  scattered  all  through  the 
mines.  When  the  stage  road  was  made,  it  ran  along 
the  creek  through  old  Frogtown,  which  place  was 
removed  to  the  high  land  where  the  town  now  stands. 
The  new  location  was  named  Hawkinsville,  in  honor 
of  a  much  respected  citizen,  old  Jacob  Hawkins. 
The  road  was  changed  to  go  through  the  town,  in 

n  o  o 

1862. 

As  mining  declined,  the  trading-posts  at  different 
points  were  abandoned,  and  business  was  concen- 
trated in  Hawkinsville.  This  place  now  has  a  store, 
saloon,  and  a  number  of  residences.  Near  by  are 
the  headquarters  and  boarding-house  of  the  Yreka 
Creek  Mining  Company,  who  are  carrying  on  the 
most  extensive  operations  in  the  vicinity. 

The  population  is  now  principally  Portuguese, 
who  are  engaged  chiefly  in  mining.  They  are  of 
the  Catholic  faith,  and  have  a  neat  church,  which 
was  converted  from  a  brick  building,  erected  in  the 
spring  of  1858  by  Mr.  Egbert. 

The  nearness  of  Yreka  is  a  drawback  to  the  trade 
of  this  place,  but  Con.  O'Donnell  is  an  enterprising 
young  merchant,  and  enjoys  a  good  local  trade  with 
the  miners  of  Humbug,  Oak  Bar,  and  Virginia  Bar. 


STARVEOUT  STATION. 

This  is  a  stage  station  -between  Julien's  and  Ed- 
son's,  situated  in  the  midst  of  the  most  barren  and 
desolate  land  in  the  valley.  It  received  its  peculiar 
name  from  the  fact  that  a  representative  of  the 
Smith  family  once  embarked  in  the  business  of  rais- 
ing chickens,  at  which  business  he  came  so  near 
physical  and  financial  starvation  that  he  abandoned 
it  in  disgust.  There  are  now  but  a  stable  and  cot- 
tage of  the  hostler  at  this  point. 


208 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


EDSON'S.  (GAZELLE  R  0.) 
The  station  of  the  stage  line  through  Shasta 
valley,  known  as  Edson's,  was  taken  up  by  a  man 
named  Brady,  and  purchased  by  E.  B.  and  J.  R. 
Edson  in  1853.  They  have,  by  diligence  and 
industry,  brought  their  farm  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation,  and  created  a  beautiful  home.  A  post- 
office  with  the  name  of  Gazelle  was  established  here 
April  15,  1870,  E.  B.  Edson,  postmaster.  For  a  time 
it  was  discontinued,  but  was  again  established  with 
Mrs.  H.  C.  Eddy  in  charge  of  the  office.  The  small 
school  stands  a  short  distance  west  of  Edson's  place, 
and  belongs  to  Shasta  valley  district. 


BUTTEVILLE.     (EDGEWOOD  P.  O.) 

This  is  a  station  on  the  stage  road  between  Edson's 
and  Strawberry  valley,  variously  known  as  Butte- 
ville,  Edgewood,  or  Cavanaugh's,  and  the  most 
important  place  on  the  line.  It  contains  the  elegant 
residence  and  hotel  of  Joseph  Cavanaugh,  a  store 
kept  by  the  same  gentleman,  the  Edgewood  post- 
office,  a  blacksmith  shop,  a  grist-mill,  a  public  hall, 
a  large  stable  belonging  to  the  stage  company,  and 
several  residences.  Surrounding  it,  within  the  dis- 
tance of  a  few  miles,  are  the  large  farms  of  N.  H. 
Eddy,  J.  A.  Caldwell,  Samuel  Jackson,  E.  W.  Con- 
ner, J.  R.  Patterson,  W.  M.  Townsend,  and  others. 

The  first  settlement  in  this  vicinity  was  made  in 
the  fall  of  1851  by  William  and  Jackson  Brown, 
who  built  a  log  cabin  on  the  place  now  owned  by 
Mr.  Caldwell,  and  raised  a  small  crop  the  next 
year.  About  1856,  W.  Starr  opened  a  store  on 
Cavanaugh's  place,  and  was  succeeded  in  1859  by 
Joseph  Foreman  and  John  Lennox.  In  1860, 
Joseph  Cavanaugh  purchased  the  store  and  property, 
and  has  been  adding  to  and  developing  the  place  till 
it  has  reached  the  present  beautiful  and  thrifty  con- 
dition. 

A  saw-mill  was  commenced  there  in  about  1854 
by  A.  Boles,  and  completed  by  T.  Whiting,  who 
sold  it  to  Westbrook  &  Pierce.  It  has  been  con- 
verted into  a  grist-mill,  and  has  one  run  of  stone. 
A  blacksmith  shop  has  existed  here  for  years,  and  is 
now  owned  and  used  by  Joseph  Rantz.  A  town 
hall,  built  by  subscription,  stands  in  Butteville,  and 
is  used  for  all  public  gatherings,  both  religious  and 
secular.  It  was  erected  in  1875,  and  is  a  frame 
building  twenty-four  by  forty  feet. 

In  1869  a  cemetery  was  laid  out  in  a  beautiful 
spot  on  the  bank  of  Shasta  river,  about  one-fourth 
of  a  mile  from  Mr.  Cavanaugh's,  and  is  called 
Edgewood  cemetery.  A  post-office  with  the  name  of 
Edgewood  was  established  April  15,  1870,  with  Mr. 
Cavanaugh  as  postmaster,  an  office  he  still  retains. 
A  daily  mail  reaches  here  from  both  directions,  and 
the  stages  stop  for  both  breakfast  and  supper  under 
the  summer  arrangement.  The  accommodations 
are  excellent  for  the  entertainment  of  travelers  and 
those  who  desire  to  find  a  pleasant  summer  resort. 
The  place  is  beautiful,  the  surrounding  scenery 
grand,  the  fishing  excellent,  and  the  care  and  atten- 
tion bestowed  upon  guests  such  as  to  win  the  hearts 
of  all  who  stop  there. 


STRAWBERRY  VALLEY.  (BERRYVALE  P.  O.) 

Lying  at  the  base  of  Mount  Shasta,  at  the  head 
of  the  Sacramento  river,  in  the  midst  of  a  noble 
growth  of  pines,  and  fanned  by  the  cool  breezes 
that  are  constantly  wafted  downward  from  the 
snowy  sides  of  the  giant  peak,  Strawberry  valley  is 
one  of  the  most  delightful  summer  resorts  on  the 
Pacific  Coast.  It  is  from  here  that  tourists  desiring 
to  ascend  the  summit  of  Shasta  find  their  guides 
and  make  their  final  start.  Two  hotels  offer  ample 
and  excellent  accommodation  to  travelers  and  pleas- 
ure seekers,  and  fishing  outfits  are  always  ready  for 
those  who  desire  to  angle  for  the  beautiful  mountain 
trout  that  abound  in  the  crystal  streams. 

The  place  now  owned  by  William  Sullaway  was 
located  by  Robert  C.  Daley,  John  P.  King,  and  R. 
Walling,  in  1854,  who  called  it  Bear  valley.  The 
same  year  John  C.  Gordon  and  John  Sires  located 
below  them,  at  the  present  site  of  the  village,  and 
named  their  location  Strawberry  Valley,  on  account 
of  the  abundance  of  wild  strawberry  vines  that  were 
growing  there.  A  house  was  built  by  Gordon,  and 
in  1858  Ross  McCloud  erected  a  saw-mill. 

A  post-office,  called  Berryvale,  was  established  in 
1866,  of  which  J.  H.  Sisson  was  postmaster  for 
twelve  years.  E.  T.  Keyser  held  the  position  two 
weeks,  and  then  Mrs.  S.  J.  Fellows  received  the 
appointment  and  still  holds  the  office.  Mrs.  Fellows 
also  keeps  a  variety  store  there,  and  is  proprietor  of 
one  of  the  hotels,  a  view  of  which  is  given  in  this 
volume.  With  imposing  Shasta  in  the  immediate 
background,  the  picture  conveys  a  truthful  idea  of 
the  beauty  of  the  place. 

A  factory  for  the  manufacture  of  pails  and  tubs 
was  started  here  a  few  years  ago,  which  is  now 
under  the  care  of  Gilbert  Lanphier,  known  to  all  as 
good,  kind-hearted  "  Uncle  Gil,"  who  has  never  been 
to  the  top  of  the  butte,  and  says  there  is  nothing 
that  belongs  to  him  up  there. 

A  neat  school  house  has  been  erected  for  the  few 
children  of  the  neighborhood.  Two  saw-mills  are 
being  operated  in  the  vicinity,  and  when  the  railroad 
is  built,  this  will  be  a  station  of  considerable 
importance. 

SODA  SPRINGS. 

These  health-giving  springs  are  situated  on  the 
upper  Sacramento  river,  near  the  boundary  line  of 
Shasta  county,  and  on  the  stage  road  to  Redding. 
They  have  been  alluded  to  several  times  in  the  early 
history,  and  were  known  to  the  trappers  as  early  as 
1835,  being  one  of  the  regular  landmarks  and  camp- 
ing places  on  the  trail  from  California  to  Oregon. 
The  altitude  is  2,275  feet,  and  the  climate  delightful. 
Fishing  and  hunting  can  be  indulged  in  to  the  heart's 
content,  and  during  the  summer  the  capacious  hotel 
is  constantly  thronged  with  those  who  desire  to  enj oy 
the  benefits  that  flow  from  imbibing  the  waters  of 
the  spring,  and  breathing  the  fresh  mountain  air,  as 
well  as  those  bent  solely  upon  pleasure  and  recreation. 

Samuel  and  Harry  Lockhart  first  settled  here  in 
1852,  and  in  1855  Ross  McCloud  build  a  house  here 
and  kept  it  several  years.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Isaac  Fry  and  Mr.  Manning,  who  kept  a  public 
house.  In  1875,  George  Campbell  became  propri- 
etor, and  now  keeps  a  first-class  summer  resort,  a 


Hi 


m^.^y  ..  ~ 


11? 

■7 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


WILLIAM  SULLA  WAY 

Is  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Susan  (Sargent)  Sullaway, 
who  were  natives  of  New   Hampshire,  his  father 
having  been  born  at  Bellows  Falls,  and  his  mother 
at  Hookset.     They  reared  a  family  of  twelve  chil- 
dren, viz.:    John,    Joseph,  Susan,  Jacob,   Dorethea, 
Jason,  Sarah,  Harriett,  Benjamin    (who  died,  and 
was   followed   by  another    son,  whom    they  called 
Benjamin,  and  who  also  died),  Mary,  and  William, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  was  born  at  Spring- 
field, New  Hampshire,  May  16,  1823.     When  thir- 
teen years  of  age  he  went  to  Massachusetts,  where 
he    engaged    in    business   in    a   public   house,  near 
Cambridge,  in  a  village  called   Fresh  Pond.     From 
here  be  removed  to  Rhode  Island,  and  on  the  eighth 
day  of   August,   1845,  was  united  in   marriage   to 
Miss  Mary  Parker,  daughter  of  John  H.  and  Armah 
Parker,  who  were  natives  of  Goshen,  New  Hamp- 
shire, where   Mrs.   Sullaway  was  born.     For  some 
time   after   marriage   he    continued   to  drive  stage 
from  Pawtucket  to  Providence.     In  the  month  of 
October,  1849,  he  sailed  from  Fall  River,  Massachu- 
setts, for  California,  on  the  vessel  Delaware,  intend- 
ing to  come  around  Cape  Horn,  but  owing  to   bad 
seamanship  was  compelled  to  abandon  that  route, 
and  put  in  to  the  West  India  Islands,  and  then  by 
way  of  the  Isthmus  to  San  Francisco,  where  they 
landed  in  April,  1850.     He  went  then  to  Stockton, 
and  began  driving  an  ox-teani  at  $200  per  month ; 
afterwards  mining  for  a  short  time  in  Calaveras 
county,  and  in   1852  removed  to  Siskiyou  county. 
He    engaged   in    mining,  then   started    an   express 
wagon  between  Yreka  and  Hawkinsville,  and  was 
the  founder  of  the  pioneer  stage  line  from  Yreka  to 
Shasta,  in   1857,  which  runs  via  the  Sacramento 
river    road,  being    carried   from    Soda    Springs   to 
Shasta    by   pack-mules.     After   two    and    one-half 
years  he  closed   this  line,  and  started  one  through 
to    Red    Bluff.     Tired  of  stage   managing  he  sold 
out,  purchased  the  place  he  now  owns,  at  that  time 
and  since  a  station  on  the  line,  called  Forest  Ranch, 
beautifully  located  in   a  fine  pine  forest,  near  the 
base  of   Mount  Shasta.     A   view   of  the  residence 
can  be  seen  on  another  page.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sulla- 
way have  reared   a  family  of   five   children,  viz.: 
Joseph    Edwin,    now   at   Kelton,  Utah,  John   W., 
Charles  F.,  Mary,  and  Ned  F. 


DAVID   DETER 


Is  a  son  of  George  and  Maria  Deter,  and  was  born 
near  Hanover,  Adams  county,  Pennsylvania,  Octo- 
ber 17,  1817.  His  parents  were  limited  in  means 
and  young  David  was  obliged  to  look  out  for  him- 
self, and  to  gain  a  livelihood  worked  at  whatever 
his 'hands  could  find  to  do,  until  1837,  when  he 
emigrated  to  Wayne  county,  Ohio,  when,  in  a  short 
time,  he  was  united  in  marriage  on  the  twenty- 
fourth  day  of  December,  1838,  to  Susan  Ziegler. 
In  1850  he  learned  of  the  rich  gold  fields  in  Califor- 
nia, and  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  March  started  across 
the  plains,  behind  an  ox-team,  in  pursuit  of  a  fort- 
une. After  a  good  trip,  arrived  at  Hangtown, 
El  Dorado  county,  on  the  eighteenth  day  of  August, 
1850,  and  went  at  once  to  mining  at  Coloma.     In 


this  he  was  not  successful  and  removed  to  another 
locality,  and  after  a  few  months  again  moved  to 
Shasta  county.  Later  he  began  mining  on  Mad  Ox 
creek,  which  mines  he  was  the  discoverer  of.  From 
here  he  moved  to  French  gulch,  and  went  on  to 
Yreka.  Here  he  encountered  the  "starvation 
times,"  the  stories  of  which  are  too  often  repeated 
and  sufficiently  written  of  in  this  volume  to  require 
mention  here.  Suffice  it  to  say,  Mr.  Deter  suffered 
his  share  of  the  privations  of  that  time.  For  some 
time  he  was  engaged  in  mining  and  packing.  In 
1854  he  located  on  the  place  he  now  lives  on.  In 
1859  he  returned  to  the  States  for  his  family,  with 
whom  he  returned  to  California  in  1S60.  His  wife 
had  died  in  1848  leaving  their  children  while  all 
were  young.  After  many  years  of  singleness,  and 
after  his  children  had  grown  up  and  married,  Mr. 
Deter  chose  a  second  companion  for  his  declining- 
years.  He  was  married  March  23,  1880,  to  Miss 
Virginia  A.  Wilkinson.  In  business  Mr.  Deter  has 
been  successful,  and  now  is  happy  and  content  in 
the  enjoyment  of  a  good  and  well-kept  home.  He 
is  quite  enthusiastic  in  growing  blooded  stock,  of 
which  he  has  some  of  the  best  in  the  State.  In 
1872  he  purchased  three  head  at  Sacramento  which 
when  delivered  in  Shasta  valley  cost  $1,060.  They 
were  the  first  blooded  stock  brought  into  the  valley. 
On  his  farm  are  found  as  good  barns  as  there  are 
in  the  county.  One  is  one  hundred  and  ninety-two 
feet  long,  seventy  eight  feet  wide,  and  twenty-five 
feet  high.  There  are  two  others  one  hundred  and 
ten  feet  and  one  hundred  feet  long  respectivel}r.  A 
view  of  the  residence  can  be  seen  on  another  page. 


ELIJAH  T.  KEYSER, 

Son  of  Christopher  and  Priscilla  (Tyson)  Keyser, 
who  were  natives  of  Montgomery  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, was  born  January  5,  1826.  His  parents  were 
farmers,  and  on  the  farm  he  worked,  attending  the 
public  school  some  in  winter.  On  the  thirty-first 
day  of  January,  1849,  he  sailed  from  New  York, 
via  Nicaragua  to  California,  arriving  at  San  Fran- 
cisco on  the  sixth  day  of  October  of  the  same 
year.  He  went  at  once  to  Hangtown  (Placerville), 
and  engaged  in  mining  with  very  good  success,  until 
1857.  Then  he  removed  to  Yreka,  and  there  fol- 
lowed mining  for  some  time,  from  which  place  he 
went  to  Soda  Creek,  east  of  Soda  Springs,  where  he 
spent  six  years  working  in  one  claim.  From  there 
he  removed  to  his  present  home  in  the  fall  of  1869. 
His  principal  business  is  dairying,  to  which  purpose 
his  lands  are  well  adapted,  being  bountifully  sup- 
plied with  the  purest  water  and  excellent  pasture. 
After  something  over  one  year  spent  in  California 
Mr.  Keyser  returned  to  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Angeline  Stru- 
ble,  daughter  of  William  and  Eenriefcta  Lingfelter) 
Struble.  He  shortly  returned  to  ( lalifornia  with  his 
wife  and  purchased  the  Philadelphia  House  at  Placer- 
ville, which  he  kept  for  a  short  time.  They  'nave 
one  son,  George  Tyson,  born  November  2ti,  1853 
Placerville.  A.  view  of  their  home  can  be  seen  "" 
another  page  of  this  work.  It  i-  located  on  the 
Oregon  and  California  stage  road,  in  what  is  called 
Clover  valley,  and  close  by  the  base  of  Mounl  Shasta. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


SAMUEL  MUSGRAVE 

Was  born  at  Grinton,  Yorkshire,  England,  in  April, 
1815.  He  was  the  son  of  Mark  and  Elizabeth 
(Spence)  Musgrave.  In  early  childhood  his  parents 
removed  to  Kessick,  Cumberland  county,  and  later 
on  to  Durham,  in  the  north  of  England,  where  they 
remained.  While  a  young  boy,  Samuel  was  taken 
into  the  mines,  and  worked  at  mining  while  he  stayed 
in  England.  The  educational  facilities  at  his  com- 
mand were  good,  but  young  Musgrave  did  not  avail 
himself  of  these  opportunities,  only  attending  school 
two  days,  and  one  of  those  under  protest,  by  force  of 
circumstances  compelled  to  do  so.  Not  the  punish- 
ments or  solicitations  of  a  fond  mother  could  induce 
him  to  go  longer.  His  unwillingness  to  attend 
school  grew  out  of  his  being  whipped,  unjustly  as  he 
thought,  for  knocking  down  another  boy  in  school 
for  having  stuck  pins  in  him.  In  1845  he  sailed  for 
the  United  States  on  the  good  ship  Queen  of  the 
West,  and  after  a  voyage  of  thirty  days  landed  in  New 
York  on  the  thirteenth  of  August.  He  went  at  once 
to  Pottsville,  Pennsylvania,  remained  one  year,  then 
removed  to  Nesquehoning,  Carbon  county,  where  he 
continued  to  reside  until  February  1,  1852,  when  he 
started  to  California  via  the  Isthmus,  embarking 
from  New  York  in  a  steamer  and  from  the  Isthmus 
in  a  sailing  vessel,  which  was  twenty -six  days  en  route 
to  San  Francisco.  During  that  time  twenty-seven 
men  died  on  board  from  fever.  Upon  his  arrival  he 
went  at  once  to  the  mines  on  the  American  river, 
and  from  there  to  Scott  valley,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming.  During  the  starvation  times  of  1852-53, 
while  he  was  out  in  pursuit  of  something  to  eat.  his 
claim  was  jumped.  He  then  came  to  Yreka  and 
mined  until  1855;  then  he  removed  to  Little  Shasta 
and  located  where  he  now  resides.  In  1840  Mr. 
Musgrave  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Eleanor 
Murton,  a  native  of  Durham  county,  England.  By 
this  union  there  have  been  born  four  children,  viz. : 
Mark,  Mary  Ann,  Elizabeth  Jane,  and  George.  The 
last  died  in  Pennsylvania,  and  is  buried  in  the  Mauch 
Chunk  cemetery.  In  his  younger  days  Mr.  Mus- 
grave was  a  Whig,  and  is  now  a  Republican.  He 
was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Church  of  England. 
He  has  been  school  trustee  and  road  overseer  in  his 
present  neighborhood.  He  owns  one  of  the  fine 
farms  of  Little  Shasta,  well  improved,  with  good 
buildings,  fences,  etc.  Mr.  Musgrave  is  a  capable, 
upright  man  and  is  highly  thought  of  by  everybody. 


STEPHEN  H.  SOULE, 

Son  of  Ebenezer  and  Cornelia  (Hogaboom)  Soule, 
was  born  at  Barrington,  Yates  county,  New  York, 
September  8,  1836.  His  father  died  when  Stephen 
was  but  three  weeks  old,  and  from  the  time  our 
subject  was  eight  years  old,  he  was  thrown  upon 
his  own  resources.  At  that  time  he  went  with  his 
grandfather's  family  to  Illinois,  who  settled  on  the 
line  of  Kane  and  DeKalb  counties,  part  of  the  prop- 
erty lying  in  each  with  the  residence  in  DeKalb. 
Here  young  Soule  remained  until  he  was  sixteen 
years  of  age,  when,  becoming  dissatisfied,  he  left  his 
grandfather's  home  and  did  farm  labor  for  others  at 
one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  per  week.  In  one  year 
he  had  saved  enough  to  return  to  his  mother's  home 
in  New  York,  which  he  did,  afterward  returning 
with  her  to  Illinois  and  locating  in  the  vicinity  of 
his  grandparents.  In  one  year  he  again  left  the 
parental  roof  and  went  to  work  by  the  month  for 
twelve  dollars,  attending  a  school  in  winter.  On 
the  twenty-fifth  of  July,  1858,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Lucinda  M.  Boyes,  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Diadamia  Boyes,  the  former  a  native  of  New  York, 
and  the  latter  of  Massachusetts.  After  marriage 
Mr.  Soule  worked  on  a  farm  for  two  years,  when  he 
started  with  his  family  across  the  plains,  in  com- 
pany with  his  brother  and  others.  He  drove  a  four- 
horse  team.  The  party  left  Illinois  on  the  twenty- 
third  of  April  and  arrived  at  Little  Shasta  on  the 
third  of  September,  1861.  Mr.  Soule  traveled  over 
Oregon  looking  for  a  home,  but  finally  located  in 
Little  Shasta,  where  he  now  resides.  At  first  he 
purchased  only  eighty  acres,  being  all  that  his  means 
would  allow  him  to  pay  for,  having  made  it  a  rule 
of  his  life  never  to  go  in  debt.  Since  that  time  he 
has  prospered,  and  now  owns  400  acres  all  under 
cultivation,  well  fenced  and  admirably  adapted  to 
grazing  and  grain -growing.  He  has  an  ample  barn 
and  granary.  Nine  children  have  been  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Soule,  viz.:  George,  Stella,  Damia,  Cor- 
nelia, Ernest,  Annie,  Charles,  John  and  Ray.  George, 
the  eldest  son,  is  now  in  New  Orleans  attending 
school  and  living  with  his  uncle  George  Soule.  Mr. 
Stephen  Soule  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
Protestant  in  religion.  A  view  of  his  residence  may 
be  seen  on  another  page. 


'-&&qt 

^glt 

^vngsnttf  J 

&& 

IH 

:^i- 

HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


209 


view  of  which  appears  on  another  page.  A  few- 
weeks  spent  with  Mr.  Campbell"  will  be  found  to  be 
productive  of  both  health  and  pleasure. 


LITTLE   SHASTA. 

This  prosperous  settlement  lies  in  the  eastern  end 
of  Shasta  valley,  at  the  base  of  the  Butte  creek  mount- 
ains, and  is  composed  of  two  stores,  post-office,  flour- 
mill,  church,  two  school  houses,  and  a  score  of  fertile 
and  highly-cultivated  farms. 

The  first  regular  settlement  was  made  by  John  B. 
Rohrer,  in  May,  1853.  Before  that  there  had  been 
parties  cutting  bay,  and  a  man  named  Kellogg  had 
built  a  corral.  Mr.  Rohrer  settled  where  Mrs. 
Ranous  now  resides,  and  was  soon  joined  by  A. 
Dcjarlais  and  Frank  Monnier  as  partners.  Soon 
after  a  number  of  places  were  taken  up  by  R.  M. 
Martin,  Z.  Vanorman,  Frank  Montre,  Ferdinand 
Grisez,  August  Bossonet,  Van  Choate  &  Thornbury, 
Reuben  Reed,  David  Deter,  George  Stilts,  J.  Duff, 
Caleb  Rue,  John  C.  Burgess,  John  Kegg,  Henry 
Davis,  Jesse  F.  Davis,  Bertrand  Moura,  Frank 
Payne,  and  J.  M.  C.  Smith.  Other  early  settlers 
were  John  Miller,  George  Miller,  Andrew  Soule,  R. 
S.  Terwilliger,  Mrs.  Burr,  Samuel  Musgrave,  and  B. 
G.  Bossonet. 

Crops  were  raised  in  1853  by  John  B.  Rohrer, 
the  Davis  brothers,  and  John  Kegg,  but  unfortu- 
nately, fire  destroyed  all  but  Mr.  Rohrer's.  The 
next  year  good  crops  were  raised  by  a  number  of 
the  settlers,  and  improvements  have  been  gradually 
made,  until  Little  Shasta  valley  is  now  one  of  the 
most  fertile,  productive  and  best  cultivated  sections 
of  the  county. 

The  first  houses  in  the  valley  were  erected  by  Mr. 
Rohrer  and  Mr.  Vanorman.  The  first  saw-mill  was 
near  Table  Rock  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  David 
Cleland,  built  by  R.  Breed  and  a  partner.  The 
price  for  sawing  the  lumber  was  seventy-five  dollars 
per  thousand  feet.  The  first  flouring  mill  was 
erected  by  Schlicht  &  Smith,  on  Shasta  river. 

There  are  two  school  districts  in  the  valley,  Little 
Shasta  and  Table  Rock,  both  of  which  own  good 
school  buildings. 

In  1877  subscriptions  were  taken  up  for  the 
erection  of  a  Congregational  church.  A  frame 
church  of  Gothic  architecture,  thirty  by  fifty  feet  in 
size,  besides  the  vestibule,  and  with  a  spire  ninety 
feet  from  the  ground,  was  completed  in  1878.  On 
the  twenty-eight  of  July  of  that  year,  it  was  dedi- 
cated by  Rev.  J.  H.  Warren,  of  San  Francisco. 
Over  the  auditorium,  and  reached  by  stairs  in  the 
rear,  is  a  fine  hall  eighteen  by  fifty-six  feet.  The 
total  cost  of  the  structure  was  $3,250.  The 
minister  located  here  was  Rev.  R.  Graves,  who  was 
succeeded  this  spring  by  Rev.  Mr.  Adams. 


BUTTE  CREEK  AND  VICINITY. 
That  portion  of  the  county  lying  east  of  the  Butte 
Creek  mountains  is  generally  known  as  the  Butte 
Creek  and  Lava  Bed  country,  the  former  being  some- 
times designated  as  Ball's,  and  the  latter  as  ±  air- 
childs'.  It  is  the  great  stock  range  of  the  county, 
and  has  been  used  for  little  else.  The  Balls  carry  on 
27 


quite  a  dairy  business  on'  Butte  creek,  at  which 
point  a  post-office  is  established.  Another  office  is 
at  Fairchilds'  place,  a  new  postal  route  having  been 
opened  through  this  section  to  Linkville,  P.  F.  Mc- 
Manus  having  the  mail  contract. 

In  1858,  Hj'de  fc  Rohrer  drove  a  band  of  cattle 
into  this  region,  but  did  not  stay  through  the  win- 
ter. The  fear  of  raids  by  the  Modocs  and  other 
Indians,  to  the  east,  made  stockmen  cautious  about 
entering  or  wintering  in  this  section,  though  the 
range  was  elegant  and  covered  with  a  luxuriant 
growth  of  bunch-grass.  In  1859  J.Hargrove  drove 
in  a  large  band  of  cattle  from  Oregon,  and  wintered 
at  the  sink  of  Butte  creek.  In  1860  James  Hamp- 
ton drove  in  a  band  from  Oregon,  but  failed  to  win- 
ter there  and  moved  them  to  Shasta  county.  In 
18G1  J.  A.  Fairchilds,  G.  W.  Hard,  and  I.  S. 
Mathews,  drove  in  about  twelve  hundred  cattle  anil 
three  hundred  horses,  in  charge  of  eight  or  ten  men, 
among  whom  was  W.  J.  Evans.  That  fall  John  B. 
Rohrer  camped  with  stock  at  the  sink  of  Butte  creek, 
where  Charles  Boyes  lives.  The  next  year  Ball 
Brothers  and  P.  A.  Dorris  settled  there  with  stock. 
Since  then  great  numbers  of  cattle,  sheep,  and  horses, 
have  been  grazed  on  the  hills  and  valleys  of  this 
region. 

The  great  historical  event  is  the  Modoc  war  of 
1873,  which  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 


HUMBUG  CITY. 

This  in  the  early  days  was  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant points  in  the  county.  It  was  on  Humbug  creek, 
a  tributary  of  the  Klamath  below  the  mouth  of 
the  Shasta  and  about  ten  miles  from  Yreka.  The 
stream  forks  a  short  distance  below  the  old  town. 

One  of  the  many  prospecting  parties  that  roamed 
this  region  in  1851,  found  gold  on  this  stream  as 
early  as  the  month  of  May,  and  a  party  went  over 
from  Yreka  to  take  up  claims.  They  were  met  on 
the  way  by  a  company  returning  from  the  stream, 
who  said  the  place  was  a  humbug.  They  kept  on, 
however,  and  proved  that  such  was  not  the  fact,  but 
named  the  creek  Humbug  in  deference  to  the  opinion 
of  the  others.  As  soon  as  the  fact  became  known, 
that  good  diggings  were  found  here,  there  wa.s  a 
rush  of  men  from  Yreka,  and  the  stream  was 
thronged  with  miners.  More  than  six  hundred  men 
were  there  that  fall,  and  the  general  rendezvous  was 
called  Humbug  City.  An  election  precinct  was 
established  here  the  next  spring,  at  which  two  hun- 
dred and  two  votes  were  cast,  and  the  same  summer 
the  court  of  sessions  of  Siskiyou  county  set  off  a 
new  township  here,  the  third  in  the  county. 

The  early  merchants  were  Captain  (not  William) 
Martin,  Tuttle,  Isaac  Merritt  &  Bro.,  Francisco, 
and  Jerome  Churchill.  Harry  Lockhart  kept  hotel, 
Jones  had  a  store  one  mile  above,  and  Hanna  had 
another  still  further  up  the  stream. 

Two  miles  above  Humbug  City,  on  the  north  fork, 
there  were  two  stores  and  several  saloons  at  a  loca- 
tion called  Freetown.  Half  a  mile  above  this  was  a 
store  kept  by  Dejarlais.  Freetown  vanishedin  1854, 
and  the  site  was  mined  away. 

( >n  the  north  fork,  one  and  one-fourth  miles  above 
the  junction,  was  the  town  of  Ridervilla  Best  had 
a  store  there  in  the  winter  of.  1851-52,  but    abao- 


210 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


cloned  it  the  next  summer.  In  1859,  Petrie,  Marsh 
&  Co.,  opened  a  store,  and  William  Courtney  a 
saloon.  It  then  became  quite  a  town,  and  was  at 
first  called  Plugtown,  after  an  old  Dr.  Nichols,  who 
wore  a  plug  hat.  It  was  soon  named  Riderville,  in 
honor  of  W.  G.  Rider,  who  had  a  claim  on  Rider 
gulch.  A  town  hall  was  built,  and  about  sixty 
cabins  stood  in  the  town  and  vicinity.  It  faded 
away  in  1866. 

On  the  main  creek,  two  miles  below  the  forks,  was 
a  location  called  Frenchtown.  It  consisted  for  a 
number  of  years  of  a  saloon  kept  by  a  man  named 
Hall,  and  later  by  Frank  Dumas.  About  1870, 
Pfenninger  &  Co.,  bought  the  saloon  and  added  a 
store  to  it.  This  place  was  originally  known  as 
Mowry's  flat,  but  was  called  Frenchtown  because  a 
number  of  Frenchmen  had  claims  there  about  1864. 
There  is  still  a  saloon  at  this  place. 

Little  Humbug  is  a  creek  that  empties  into  the 
Klamath  some  distance  below  Humbug  creek.  There 
was  a  mining  excitement  that  drew  quite  a  crowd 
to  the  stream  in  1855.  Two  stores  were  opened  on 
the  creek,  and  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  men 
worked  along  the  stream.  Since  1863  there  have 
been  but  few  at  work  there. 

The  principal  center  of  trade  and  population,  how- 
ever, was  Humbug  City,  which  was  crowded  Satur- 
day nights  and  Sundays  with  a  throng  of  jovial 
rolicking  men,  miners,  gamblers,  and  roughs.  A 
thousand  men  were  on  the  stream  in  1853,  and  the 
scenes  that  have  been  enacted  in  every  mining  camp 
in  California,  found  their  counterpart  here.  There 
were  several  stores,  saloons  and  shops,  and  but  a  few 
residences,  as  the  miners  lived  all  along  the  creek. 

At  the  Forks,  Flannigan  Brothers  had  a  store,  and 
later  Shearer  and  Jacob  Hansen  each  kept  one. 
William  Irwin  and  Livy  Swan  kept  a  lai'ge  butcher 
shop  there,  from  which  they  supplied  the  whole 
trade  of  the  creek. 

The  Idaho  mines  took  away  a  great  many  of  the 
Humbug  miners  in  1861-62,  and  in  1862  a  fire 
burned  a  portion  of  the  town.  The  place  then  began 
to  decline,  and  has  been  on  the  down  grade  ever 
since.  A  wagon  road  was  built  from  Hawkinsville 
in  1862,  to  connect  Humbug  with  Yreka,  the  expense 
being  defrayed  by  a  subscription.  Previous  to  that 
it  had  cost  three  cents  a  pound  to  pack  goods  from 
Yreka,  and  lumber  brought  in  that  way  sold  at 
from  eight  to  ten  cents  per  foot.  The  first  lumber 
used  on  the  creek  was  made  with  a  whip-saw,  and 
sold  for  fifty  cents  a  foot.  For  a  while  a  small  saw- 
mill was  run  in  connection  with  Flagg  &  Cos.  quartz 
mill. 

In  1863  a  public  school  was  taught  in  an  old 
miner's  cabin,  by  Mrs.  Crary,  and  the  next  year  a 
school  house  was  built  by  subscription.  Since  18S0 
no  school  has  been  maintained.  There  has  never 
been  a  church  on  the  creek,  but  religious  services 
were  occasionally  held  by  visiting  ministers  of  vari- 
ous denominations. 

In  1852  there  was  quite  a  quartz  excitement,  and 
a  few  arastras  and  one  small  mill  were  built.  In 
1858  the  excitement  was  renewed,  and  a  two-stamp 
mill  was  erected  on  Sucker  creek,  by  Flagg  &  Co., 
which  was  increased  to  ten  stamps.  The  engine  and 
machinery  were  packed  in  sections  across  the  mount- 
ains on  mules.     D.  N.  Lash   in   late   years   ran    a 


fifteen-stamp  mill  on  the  Eliza  ledge,  but  it  is  now 
abandoned. 

When  miners  went  to  Idaho  in  1861-62,  the 
claims  were  taken  up  by  Chinese,  who  still  hold  the 
best  ground.  Not  more  than  two  dozen  white  men 
are  now  on  the  creek,  and  there  is  only  one  store 
there  now,  which  is  kept  by  Chinamen. 


COTTONWOOD,  OR  HENLY. 

The  old  mining  town  of  Cottonwood  lies  on  Cot- 
tonwood flat,  just  north  of  the  Klamath  river,  near 
the  old  Oregon  trail.  It  has  been  a  rich  mining 
district,  and  many  an  ounce  of  dust  has  been  taken 
from  Stone  gulch,  Dan  Downes'  gulch,  Rocky  gulch, 
Brass  Wire  channel,  John  Hatch  hill,  Milk  Ranch 
claim,  Turnip  Patch  claim,  Canuck  gulch,  Rich 
gulch,  Todhunter  flat,  Milk  Canon  gulch,  Rancheria 
creek,  Cottonwood  creek,  Dutch  gulch,  Printer's 
gulch,  Buffalo  flat,  etc. 

In  the  spring  of  1851,  soon  after  the  discovery 
at  Yreka,  John  Thomas  and  another  man  pros- 
pected on  Rich  gulch,  about  half  a  mile  south  of 
the  town  of  Cottonwood.  They  were  soon  followed 
by  others,  and  during  that  summer  and  winter  a 
large  number  of  miners  were  at  work  on  the  gulches 
and  along  Cottonwood  creek.  Trading  was  done 
principally  at  Yreka,  but  a  small  store  was  opened 
there,  which  was  kept  by  Eddy  &  Pratt,  in  1852. 
The  next  year  the  diggings  became  better  developed, 
more  miners  were  at  work,  and  two  more  stores 
were  opened,  one  by  Evert  and  Charles  Geiger,  and 
one  by  Aaron  Brothers.  In  the  fall  of  1854,  Frank, 
Isaac,  and  George  Merritt,  opened  still  another 
store.  These,  with  the  saloons  and  shops,  made 
quite  a  thriving  camp. 

For  five  years  Cottonwood  flourished,  and  then 
began  to  decline,  as  did  all  other  mining  centers. 
The  traditions  say  that  in  1856,  in  what  was  known 
as  the  Stile's  claim,  six  men  took  out  thirteen 
pounds  of  gold  in  one  day,  and  that  in  1864,  a 
piece  of  gold  weighing  over  $1,900  was  found  in 
Printer's  gulch. 

The  same  causes  that  created  the  hard  times  at 
Yreka  and  Scott  Bar  in  the  winter  of  1852-53, 
were  at  work  here  also.  The  snow  was  from  two 
to  three  feet  deep  all  the  winter;  flour  rose  to  two 
dollars  per  pound ;  potatoes  fifty  cents,  and  packed 
over  the  mountains  from  Oregon;  salt,  one  dollar 
an  ounce;  meat,  seventy -five  cents  per  pound.  The 
first  pack-trains  in  from  Oregon,  in  February, 
relieved  the  people,  and  the  market  soon  sought  its 
proper  level. 

The  town  was  named  Cottonwood  after  the  creek, 
to  which  that  name  had  been  applied  by  the  early 
prospectors  on  account  of  the  cottonwood  trees  that 
fringed  its  banks.  The  name  was  a  common  one, 
and  when  a  regular  post-office  was  established  in 
1861,  a  new  name  had  to  be  given  it.  The  people 
then  adopted  the  name  of  Henly,  after  a  prominent 
citizen,  but  for  all  general  purposes  the  people  of 
the  county  still  call  the  place  Cottonwood. 

On  Thursday  morning,  June  20,  1861,  fire  de- 
stroyed a  large  portion  of  the  town.  It  started  in  a 
saloon  on  the  south  side  of  Main  street,  just  about 
sunrise.  It  was  supposed  to  have  been  of  an  incen- 
diary origin,  and  that  a  man  had  thrown  camphene 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


211 


on  the  outside  of  the  building  and  applied  fire  to  it. 
The  proprietor  of  the  saloon,  Henry  Davis,  was 
sleeping  inside,  and  barely  escaped  with  his  life. 
The  tire  spread  rapidly,  and  soon  burned  all 
on  the  south  side  and  nearly  all  on  the  north 
side  of  Main  street,  Aaron's  brick  store  escap- 
ing. Anton  Haserick's  saloon,  John  Ireland's 
hotel,  Fultz  &  Fox's  butcher  shop,  Henry  Davis' 
saloon,  and  a  number  of  buildings  and  dwelling 
houses  perished. 

The  only  church  building  ever  erected  here  was 
the  small  frame  one  on  Main  street,  opposite  the 
residence  of  George  Deal,  and  now  used  as  a  stable. 
It  was  erected  by  subscription,  the  movement  being 
inaugurated  by  Rev.  Mr.  Speck.  No  services  were 
ever  held  in  it,  for  before  it  was  completed  the 
subscription  was  exhausted,  a  quarrel  sprang  up 
among  those  interested,  one  of  the  members  whipped 
the  minister,  and  the  whole  project  came  to  a  com- 
plete pause.  Services  are  occasionally  held  in  the 
school  house  by  visiting  clergymen. 

Mining  has  been  carried  on  generally  by  sluicing, 
though  drift  and  hydraulic  methods  have  been 
in  use.  The  first  hydraulic  appliances  were 
used  by  Daniel  Gross  and  by  Joseph  Jakes,  in 
1857,  being  small  canvas  hose.  The  first  ditch 
was  dug  in  1852  from  Rancheria  creek  to  the  fiats, 
two  and  one-half  miles  long.  At  first  it  carried 
about  fifty  inches,  but  was  enlarged  to  two  hun- 
dred. It  is  called  the  Gross  ditch,  belongs  to  Samuel 
Clary,  and  is  now  used  by  William  Smith.  Deal  & 
Poindexter  dug  a  ditch  from  Ditch  creek  to  the  dig- 
gings south  of  town,  four  miles,  in  1855.  That  fall 
the  Mill  and  Fluming  Company  extended  it  four 
miles  to  Cottonwcod  creek.  It  is  now  used  from 
Ditch  creek  by  William  Smith,  and  carries  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  inches.  The  Reese  ditch,  sixty 
inches,  was  dug  by  Fultz  &  Hazlett  from  Cotton- 
wood creek,  three  miles,  in  1857.  The  Holt  ditch, 
now  owned  by  Mathew  Fultz,  was  dug  by  George 
Holt  in  1861.  It  carries  one  hundred  inches  and  is 
two  miles  long,  from  Cottonwood  creek.  In  1861 
Stephen  Oster  dug  a  ditch  from  Cottonwood  creek 
to  Bushy  gulch,  one  and  one-half  miles.  In  1864  it 
was  extended  to  Cottonwood,  four  miles  further.  It 
carries  two  hundred  inches,  and  is  used  by  William 
Smith.  A  few  small  ditches  were  also  dug,  but  the 
majority  of  them  are  now  abandoned. 

A  saw-mill  was  built  five  miles  from  Cottonwood, 
in  1854,  by  Nicholas  Horn,  Wilcox,  Clark,  Cave, 
John  Horn,  and  others,  who  composed  the  Mill  and 
Fluming  Company.  This  was  operated  till  1864, 
when  a  new  one  was  built  on  the  west  branch  of 
Cottonwood  creek,  four  or  five  miles  above  the  other, 
by  William  Smith.  It  is  still  operated  by  John 
Hilt. 

There  was  quite  a  quartz  excitement  here  in  1857, 
though  but  little  resulted  from  it.  The  old  Lodi  ledge 
has  been  worked  for  twenty  years,  though  not 
accomplishing  much.  It  now  belongs  to  McConnell, 
McManus,  DeWitt,  Morse,  and  Jacobs.  A  quartz- 
mill  of  five  stamps  was  erected  in  1880,  that  works 
the  Lodi  ore  and  that  from  several  other  ledges. 

Cottonwood  now  consists  of  one  hotel,  one  store, 
one  saloon,  one  blacksmith  shop,  and  a  number  of  resi- 
dences. Considerable  mining  is  still  carried  on  in 
the  vicinity,  and  several  good  ranches  surround  the 


town,  those  of  William   Smith   and   Silas  Shattuck 
being  the  principal  oues. 


SCOTT  VALLEY. 

By  far  the  largest  area  of  improved  agricultural 
land  lies  within  the  limits  of  Scott  valley.  It  is 
separated  from  Shasta  valley  on  the  east  by  a  high 
range  of  mountains,  and  is  hemmed  in  on  tin- 
south  by  Scott  mountain,  on  the  west  by  the  Salmon 
range,  and  on  the  northwest  and  north  by  Scott 
Bar  and  the  Klamath  mountains.  The  towns  of 
Callahan's,  Etna,  Oro  Fino,  and  Fort  Jones  are 
within  its  borders,  as  well  as  many  large  and  well 
cultivated  farms,  the  leading  ones  "being  those  of  I. 
S.  Mathews,  Oliver  Goodale,  Augustus  Meamber, 
John  P.  Meamber,  James  Davidson,  John  T.  Moxley, 
L.  S.  Wilson,  0.  V.  Green,  George  Heard,  P.  A. 
Heartstrand,  George  Smith,  Charles  Hovenden,  John 
W.  McBride,  Josiah  Doll,  Jeremiah  Davidson,  J.  P. 
Wood,  James  Bryan,  Charles  M.  Nentzel,  and  the 
Wolford  Brothers. 

In  the  winter  of  1850-51,  many  prospecting  par- 
ties passed  through  the  valley,  and  when  gold  was 
discovered  on  Yreka  flats,  Scott  valley  became  a 
highwa}^  to  the  new  mines. 

In  the  fall  of  1850,  William  R.  Pool,  Edward 
Wicks,  and  others,  from  Scott  Bar,  took  up  a  land 
claim  where  Augustus  Meamber  lives,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  herding  horses  and  mules,  as  there  was  no 
grass  to  be  found  at  Scott  Bar.  They  built  a  log 
cabin  and  a  corral,  and  charged  the  miners  a  good 
round  sum  for  grazing  their  stock.  In  1852,  this 
place  came  into  the  hands  of  Samuel  Johnson,  and 
was  known  for  a  long  time  as  Johnson's  ranch. 

In  August,  1851,  Elijah  Steele,  Briggs,  Sloan,  and 
Tiernan,  built  a  double  log  cabin  two  miles  from 
Fort  Jones,  on  the  road  to  Yreka.  Tiernan  was  in 
charge  until  winter,  when  the  partners  dissolved, 
and  Steele  occupied  the  place  with  Lucius Fairchild, 
and  supplied  beef  to  the  mines. 

In  September,  1851,  George  Rice,  Wallace  Holt, 
and  two  others,  took  up  the  land  now  owned  by  P. 
A.  Heartstrand.  There  was  a  small  cabin  on  it, 
erected  that  spring  by  men  who  were  shooting  game 
for  the  Yreka  market.  Early  in  the  spring  of 
1852,  P.  A.  Heartstrand  and  Asa  White  bought  the 
place,  and  the  former  has  lived  there  ever  since. 

In  the  fall  of  1851,  M.  B.  Callahan  located  Calla- 
han's ranch,  and  brought  his  wife  there  the  next 
spring. 

James  Spall  built  a  small  cabin  on  Mule  creek  that 
winter. 

Brown  &  Kelley  built  the  well-known  Wheelock's 
trading-post  at  Fort  Jones  that  winter. 

Early  in  1852,  John  McKee,  son  of  Etedic  McKee, 
the  Indian  commissioner,  took  up  the  Peter  Smith 
ranch,  and  Rev.  D.  H.  Lowry.  the  O.  Y.  Green  place. 
Grove  K.  Godfrey  also  took  up  a  place  that  spring 
near  Fort  Jones.  The  Lone  Star  ranch,  now  owned 
03  I.  S.  Mathews,  was  located  upon  the  same  spring 
by  a  man  named  Starr.  Dutch  John  settled  the 
same  year  at  mouth  of  Hamblin  gulch  ;  J.  C.  Camp- 
bell located  Mrs.  buddy's  place.  Col.  Charles  Drew 
and  Benjamin  Drew,  took  up  claims  where  John 
Wagner  lives,  but  soon  left  them  in  the  charge  -I' 
Captain  Allison,  who  sold  them  that  fall  to  George 


212 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


Smith,  James  Stevens  and  John  Kane.  Cradiger 
and  wife  opened  the  Belleview  House,  a  famous 
place  for  dancing  in  the  early  days,  and  the  Shores 
brothers,  Glendenning  and  Wininger  took  up  a  place 
on  the  same  side  of  the  river.  These  with  the  L.  S. 
Wilson  ranch,  which  was  located  late  that  year  by 
John  P.  Wilson,  Samuel  Cole,Abram  White,  Thomas 
White,  and  Jeremiah  Day,  comprise  the  settlements 
in  Scott  valley  at  the  end  of  the  year  1852. 

Twenty-nine  votes  were  cast  here  at  the  election 
held  for  township  officers,  May  29,  1852.  This  was 
a  portion  of  Scott  River  township,  and  the  polls 
were  held  at  Lone  Star  ranch.  In  1853,  and  for 
several  years  thereafter,  many  new  places  were  set- 
tled and  many  of  the  old  ones  changed  owners, 
until  the  valley  was  taken  up  from  one  end  to  the 
other.  Its  development  appears  more  fully  in  the 
history  of  the  towns  immediately  following. 

On  the  third  of  December,  1854,  the  first  white 
child  in  the  valley  was  born.  It  was  James  M. 
Davidson,    now    deputy    county    clerk    and    civil 


FORT  JONES. 

The  enterprising  little  town  of  Fort  Jones  is  the 
business  successor  of  the  now  extinct  Deadwood,  and 
the  nearly  dead  Hooperville.  It  lies  just  below  the 
junction  of  Moffitt  and  McAdams  creeks,  eighteen 
miles  from  Yreka. 

A.  cabin  was  built  at  this  place,  late  in  1851,  by 
Brown  &  Kelley,  who  sold  the  next  spring  to  Capt. 

John  B.  Pierce,  O.  C.  Wheelock, Fouts,and  John 

and  Stephen  Watson.  The  place  soon  came  into 
the  hands  of  Wheelock,  who  kept  a  small  trading- 
post  and  a  house  of  public  entertainment.  There 
were  a  number  of  settlers  in  the  valley,  and  a  great 
deal  of  travel  past  this  point.  It  was  a  station  on 
the  regular  route  from  Yreka  to  Shasta,  as  well  as 
to  the  mines  on  Scott  and  Salmon  rivers. 

The  hotel,  which  stood  opposite  A.  B.  Oarlock's 
residence,  did  a  good  business,  and  was  well  known, 
far  and  near.  The  trade  with  the  poldiers  of  the 
garrison  was  by  no  means  a  small  item  in  the  busi- 
ness of  this  post.  In  the  fall  of  1852  Major  Fitz- 
gerald, with  a  detachment  of  cavalry,  established 
the  post  of  Fort  Jones,  one-half  mile  above  Whee- 
lock's.  He  was  soon  succeeded  in  command  by 
another  officer,  who  was  relieved  by  Capt.  H.  M. 
Judah,  now  a  general.    Under  him  three  lieutenants, 

J.  C.  Bonnycastle,  George  Crook,  and Hood. 

Crook  is  now  the  celebrated  Indian  fighter,  and 
Hood  was  a  noted  general  of  cavalry  in  the  con- 
federate army.  The  post  consisted  of  a  few  log  build- 
ings, until  the  arrival  of  Judah,  when  several 
frame  structures,  expensive  in  those  days,  were 
erected.  When  the  post  was  abandoned  in  1857, 
these  were  sold  and  moved  away. . 

In  1853  James  Davidson  took  up  the  land  on 
which  a  large  portion  of  the  present  town  now 
stands. 

As  the  valley  became  settled  and  the  mines  began 
to  decrease  in  population,  it  became  evident  that 
Wheelock's  was  a  better  location  for  a  town  than 
Deadwood  or  Hooperville.  Those  places  were 
rapidly  falling  away.  In  1858  Darling  &  Stor- 
ment  opened  a  small  trading-post  near  the  site  of  A. 
A.  Beem's  stable.     The  same  year  C.  N.  Thornbury 


started  a  hotel  where  the  Fort  Jones  Hotel  now 
stands,  and  J.  A.  Diggles  &  Brother  (H.  J.)  opened  a 
store  in  a  frame  building,  on  the  ground  now  occu- 
pied by  the  Odd  Fellows  Hall.  They  built  the 
present  brick  store  in  1861.  Darling  &  Storment 
sold  their  stock,  and  Storment  opened  a  blacksmith 
shop  just  north  of  Carlock's  store.  In  1858,  also, 
a  livery  stable  was  started  at  the  place  now  kept 
by  Beem,  by  Newton  Pratt. 

Thus  in  one  year  quite  a  town  sprang  up  at  this 
place.  In  1859  J.  H.  Downey  opened  a  shoe  shop. 
In  1861  Mrs.  Eliza  Sterling  commenced  keeping  the 
Union  Hotel,  of  which  she  is  still  the  proprietor  ; 
and  soon  after  Mrs.  Hughes,  the  present  proprietor 
of  the  Fort  Jones  Hotel,  began  to  preside  over  that 
house.  In  1860  A.  B.  Carlock  and  S.  E.  Stone 
opened  a  store  here,  and  built  the  brick  store  where 
Mr.  Carlock  now  has  his  office. 

The  new  town  was  known  variously  at  first  as 
Scottsburg,  Scottville,  and  Ottitiewa.  The  last  name 
was  bestowed  upon  the  post-office  in  1860,  which 
was  established  that  year  with  J.  E.  Thomas  as  post- 
master. It  is  the  Indian  name  for  the  Scott  valley 
branch  of  the  Shasta  tribe.  A  meeting  was  held  at 
Thornbury's  hotel,  September  29,  1860,  at  which' 
the  following  resolutions  were  passed  : — 

Whereas,  This  place  is  known  by  different  names, 
thereby  causing  confusion  and  inconvenience  to  our 
inhabitants  and  others  transacting  business  with  us, 
therefore 

Resolved,  That  this  village  be  hereafter  called 
Fort  Jones. 

Resolved,  That  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting  be 
published  in  the  Yreka  papers. 

J.  E.  Thomas,  Chairman. 

C.  N.  Thornbury,  Secretary. 

The  name  Ottitiewa  still  remained  as  the  title  of 
the  post-office,  and  another  meeting  was  held  in  1862 
at  which  a  petition  to  the  postal  department  was 
adopted,  to  change  the  name  to  Fort  Jones.  This 
was  done,  and  by  that  name  the  town  has  been  since 
known.  The  telegraph  office  was  established  in 
1864,  and  the  express  office  in  1865. 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  September 
5,  1867,  the  day  after  the  election,  a  fire  started  in 
the  rear  of  a  saloon  between  Carlock's  store  and  the 
North  Star  Hotel,  destroying  it  and  the  hotel,  and 
burning  the  roof  off  Carlock's  store.  The  loss  was 
about  $10,000.  This  is  the  only  fire  of  consequence 
that  has  occurred  in  the  town. 

Fort  Jones  has  progressed  slowly  and  steadily,  and 
has  a  trade  established  on  a  sound  agricultural  basis. 
It  is  the  supply  point  for  a  large  portion  of  Scott 
valley,  and  the  mines  along  McAdams  creek,  Indian 
creek,  and  adjacent  streams.  The  business  men  look 
forward  to  a  railroad  through  Shasta  valley  which 
they  can  reach  by  a  short  grade  over  the  mountains, 
and  thus  make  Fort  Jones  the  cheapest  point  for 
supplies  in  Scott  valley.  It  contains  four  stores,  a 
semi-weekly  paper,  church,  two  hotels,  livery  stable, 
telegraph  office,  express  office,  post-office,  two  black- 
smith shops,  flour-mill,  meat  market,  and  a  number 
of  other  shops  and  saloons,  besides  many  residences. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  completed  in 
1874,  and  is  a  neat  frame  structure.  Episcopal 
services  are  occasionally  held  by  Rev.  T.  G.  Williams, 
of  Yreka. 


■..-■■-. 


STORE  OF  A.H, DENNY  CALLAHAN'S  RANCH,SISKIYOU  CO.,CAL. 


RESIDENCE  OF  A.H.DENNY. 

CALLAHAN'S  RANCH,  SISKIYOU  CO..CAL- 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU   COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


213 


By  the  Act  of  March  16,  1872,  the  legislature 
incorporated  the  town  of  Fort  Jones,  subject  to  the 
general  Act  of  April  19,  1856,  with  boundaries 
"  commencing  at  an  oak  tree,  blazed  and  marked, 
on  the  north  line  of  the  land  of  B.  R.  Morris;  run- 
ning thence  in  a  westerly  course  on  the  land  divid- 
ing the  land  of  Isaac  Hamilton  and  widow  McDer- 
mott,  to  the  land  of  James  A.  Davidson;  thence 
southerly  along  the  dividing  line  between  the  land 
of  James  A.  Davidson  and  H.  J.  Diggles,  to  the  end 
of  Diggles'  land ;  thence  in  the  same  direction  to 
the  southwest  corner  of  the  lot  of  J.  K.  Luttrell; 
thence  in  an  easterly  direction,  by  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  land  of  A.  Owens,  to  a  stake  on  the 
point  of  the  ridge  between  the  town  of  Fort  Jones 
and  the  United  States  Fort  Jones  reserve  lands; 
thence  northerly  to  a  stake  four  hundred  feet  east 
of  the  dwelling  of  Dr.  T.  T.  Cabannis;  thence  in  a 
direct  line  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

The  officers  provided  for  were  five  trustees,  one 
recorder  and  ex  officio  secretary  of  the  board  of 
trustees,  treasurer,  assessor,  and  marshal,  to  be 
elected  the  first  Monday  in  May  of  each  year.  The 
first  election  was  called,  and  the  votes  canvassed 
by  County  Judge  Shearer,  and  the  trustees  organ- 
ized the  board  May  24,  1872,  by  the  election  of 
Joel  Newton  as  chairman. 

December  6,  1880,  the  board  named  the  streets 
respectively,  Main,  East,  Sterling,  Mathews,  Horn, 
Newton,  Carlock,  and  O'Neal. 

OFFICERS  OF  FORT  JONES. 

1872-73. 
Trustees — Henry  J.  Diggles,  Adam  B.  Carlock, 
Joel  Newton,  Alexander  Owens,  David  Horn. 
Clerk  and  Recorder — Robert  S.  Green. 
Marshal — James  M.  Luttrell. 
Assessor — Alfred  Atkins. 
Treasurer — Louis  La  Croix. 

1873-74. 
Trustees— Henry  J.  Diggles,  Alexander    Owens, 
I.  S.  Mathews,  B.  R.  Morris,  F.  0.  Sampson. 
Clerk  and  Recorder— Robert  S.  Green. 
Marshal — Jesse  S.  Burge. 
Assessor — Alfred  Atkins. 
Treasurer — Louis  La  Croix. 

1874-75. 

Trustees— E.  Reichman,  Henry  J.  Diggles,  Adam 
B.  Carlock,  J.  B.  Wortser,  *Joel  Newton. 

Clerk  and  Recorder— Robert  S.  Green. 

Marshal — *  James  E.  Thomas. 

Assessor — Alfred  Atkins. 

Treasurer — *N.  H.  Smith. 

*Chosen  at  special  election  May  25.  Had  been  a  tie  between 
Joel  Newton  and  B.  R.  Morris  for  trustee,  and  J.  W.  Wheeler 
had  failed  to  qualify  as  marshal  and  Louis  La  Croix  as  treasurer, 

1875-76. 
Trustees— Joel  Newton,  Adam  B.  Carlock,  Henry 
J.  Diggles,  David  Horn,  Felix  Kunz. 
Clerk  and  Recorder— Robert  S.  Green. 
Marshal — A.  Lang. 
Assessor— B.  R.  Morris. 
Treasurer — Jacob  Bills. 

1876-77. 
Trustees— Henry  J.  Diggles,  Adam  B.  Carlock, 


David  Horn,  Joel  Newton,  E.  Reichman. 

Clerk  and  Recorder — Robert  S.  Green. 

Marshal — James  E.  Thomas. 

Assessor — 

Treasurer — 

1877-78. 

Trustees — Hemy  J.  Diggles,  David  Horn,  Aaron 
Bar,  Joel  Newton,  *R.  D.  Stone. 

Clerk  and  Recorder — Robert  S.  Green. 

Marshal — James  E.  Thomas. 

Assessor — Jesse  J.  Pool. 

Treasurer — Adam  B.  Carlock. 

*Special   election    May    22   to  decide   tie  on   thirteen   votes 
between  R.  D.  Stone  and  A.  A.  Beem. 

1878-79. 
Same  officers  as  the  year  before. 

1879-80. 
Trustees — Aaron    Bar,    Joel    Newton,    Henry    J. 
Diggles,  David  Horn,  Jacob  Bills. 

Clerk  and  Recorder — Robert  S.  Green. 
Marshal — James  E.  Thomas. 
Assessor — Jesse  J.  Pool. 
Treasurer — Adam  B.  Carlock. 

1880-81. 
Trustees — Henry  J.  Diggles,  David  Horn,  L.  Fie- 
bush,  R.  O'Neal,  Aaron  Bar. 

Clerk  and  Recorder — Robert  S.  Green. 
Marshal — James  E.  Thomas 
Assessor — J.  S.  Burge. 
Treasurer — Adam  B.  Carlock. 

1881-82. 
Trustees — I.  S.  Mathews,  Aaron  Bar,  Henry  J. 
Diggles,  *David  Horn,  *R.  O'Neal. 

Clerk  and  Recorder — Robert  S.  Green. 
Marshal — C.  Ehret. 
Assessor — J.  S.  Burge. 
Treasurer — Adam  B.  Carlock. 

*Chosen   at    special  election  June   4,    on  account  of  tie  on 
seven  votes  between  David  Horn,  Jacob  Bills,  and  Louis  Heller. 


ETNA. 


Located  on  the  west  side  of  Scott  valley,  adjacent 
to  the  foot-hills  of  Salmon  mountains,  and  between 
them  and  Mill  creek,  lies  Etna,  a  thriving  business 
town  of  about  three  hundred  inhabitants. 

In  1853  a  saw-mill  was  completed  on  the  site  of 
the  present  town  by  Mr.  Bauer  and  others,  who  dug 
a  ditch  from  Etna  creek.  Joseph  Wardlow  supplied 
capital  for  the  enterprise  to  the  amount  of  S3,500, 
and  carried  a  note  to  that  amount  until  it  was  worn 
out.  The  greenback  theory  of  paying  old  obliga- 
tions by  substituting  new  ones,  was  not  then  pro- 
mulgated, and  so  he  lost  the  debt  entirely.  In  is"  1. 
Charles  McDermit,  Charles  D.  Moore,  William  and 
Dr.  Davidson,  built  a  flour-mill  one  mile  from  the 
present  town,  which  Mrs.  D.  H.  Lowry  named  /Etna 
Mills.  The  firm  was  known  as  BIcDermii  &  David- 
son. A  saw-mill  was  also  built,  and  in  1856  Jere- 
miah Davidson  and  William  Miller  erected  a  distil- 
lery which  was  operated  for  ten  years. 

iii  1855,  Abisha  Swain,  H.  C.  Swain,  Obe- 
diah  Baer,  George  Smith,  .lames  Stevens,  and 
P.  A.  Hcartstrand  commenced  the  erection  of  a 
flour-mill  on  the  present  site  of   the  town.       This 


214 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


was  named  the  Rough  and  Ready  mill,  and  the 
town  that  grew  up  there  bore  the  same  appel- 
lation. The  christener,  James  Stevens,  was  lost 
on  the  ill-fated  Central  America.  The  mill  was 
ready  for  working  in  March,  1856.  Up  to  this  time 
the  only  dwelling-house  had  been  erected  in  1853  by 
the  saw-mill  proprietors,  and  this  year  E.  F.  Heroy 
and  Abisha  Swain  built  residences  here.  The  other 
proprietors  of  the  mill  lived  on  their  ranches  in  the 
vicinity. 

There  was  now  considerable  rivalry  between  the 
two  little  towns.  Swain  Brothers  opened  a  store  at 
Rough  and  Ready  in  1857,  in  a  frame  building 
where  now  stands  the  brick  store  of  Parker,  Camp- 
bell &  Co.  A  hotel  was  erected  in  1858  by  H.  B. 
Bixby.  It  has  been  enlarged  several  times,  and  is 
now  the  Etna  Hotel,  so  well  presided  over  by  Isaac 
L.  Baker.  The  first  white  child  born  in  the  town 
was  John  H.  Swain,  October  5,  1857. 

At  iEtna  Mills  there  was  a  store  kept  by  Davidson 
Brothers,  and  one  by  Sleeper  &  Green,  a  cabinet 
and  furniture  store  by  Charles  McDermit,  a  hotel, 
the  flour-mill  and  saw-mill,  the  distillery,  a  black- 
smith shop  and  machine  shop,  and  quite  a  number 
of  families  and  residences.  Trade  by  means  of  pack- 
trains  was  carried  on  over  the  Salmon  mountains. 
Trade  was  good,  and  saloons  and  whisky  plentiful. 
This  was  by  far  the  more  important  and  prosperous 
settlement  of  the  two,  till  the  floods  of  1861-62 
greatly  damaged  the  mill  and  town,  and  injured  its 
business  prospects.  A  post-office  had  been  established 
there,  with  M.  Sleeper  as  postmaster,  who  was 
succeeded  by  James  H.  Taylor. 

From  this  time  the  town  of  Rough  and  Ready 
became  the  principal  business  point,  and  rapidly 
absorbed  the  other.  The  post-office  was  moved  in 
1863,  and  Abisha  Swain  became  postmaster,  suc- 
ceeded by  H.  J.  Diggles,  D.  H.  Shaw,  and  the  pres- 
ent incumbent,  J.  M.  Single.  The  office  still  retains 
its  old  name  of  Etna  Mills,  the  spelling  having  been 
modified. 

In  1865  Joseph  Young  &  Brother,  Swain  Brothers 
and  George  Smith,  purchased  the  building  and 
machinery  of  the  flour-mill  at  Yreka,  and  brought 
them  to  Rough  and  Ready,  and  rebuilt  and  refitted 
them.  It  was  run  by  steam  till  1872,  when  it  was 
changed  to  water-power.  It  is  now  owned  by  Kist 
&  French.  The  original  Rough  and  Ready  mill  is 
still  standing  and  is  used  for  a  warehouse. 

The  telegraph  office  was  established  in  1869,  and 
the  express  office  in  1878. 

There  was  found  to  be  considerable  inconvenience 
in  using  the  name  Rough  and  Ready,  there  being  a 
town  and  post-office  in  Nevada  county  by  that  name, 
and  as  the  name  of  the  office  here  was  Etna  Mills, 
the  people  began  calling  the  place  Etna  in  1870.  By 
the  Act  of  March  13,  1874,  the  legislature  changed 
the  name  of  the  town  to  Etna,  and  by  Act  of  March 
13,  1878,  incorporated  it  under  the  same  name,  sub- 
ject to  the  provisions  of  the  Act  of  April  19,  1856. 
The  boundaries  given  were: — "The same  as  surveyed, 
made  and  established,  and  as  appears  by  the  plat 
and  copy  of  the  field-notes  and  survey  of  the  said 
Town  of  Etna,  made  and  returned  by  A.  M.  Jones 
on  the  sixteenth  day  of  July,  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  seventy-five,  to  the  County  Judge  of 
said  Siskiyou  county,  and  filed  in  the  office  of  the 
County  Recorder   of   said    county."      The   officers 


created  were:  five  trustees,  a  recorder  and  ex  officio 
clerk  of  the  board,  treasurer,  assessor,  and  marshal, 
to  be  elected  annually  on  the  first  Monday  in  May. 
The  election  was  called  by  Judge  Shearer,  the  votes 
canvassed  by  him,  and  the  city  government  inaugu- 
rated. 

The  business  of  Etna  is  with  the  surrounding 
farmers  and  the  miners  along  Salmon  river.  Goods 
are  packed  over  the  mountains  on  mules  to  an  extent 
that  few  would  suppose.  In  1878  there  were  for- 
warded 276,528  pounds  of  Scott  valley  produce,  and 
84,436  pounds  of  general  merchandise.  This  all 
went  to  the  Black  Bear  mine.  In  addition  to  this, 
150,000  pounds  of  mill  produce  were  carried.  The  two 
hundred  mules  used  in  this  traffic  pack  about  600,000 
pounds  of  all  classes  of  goods  across  the  Salmon 
mountains  annually.  Owners  of  pack-trains  are, 
Bennett  &  Miller,  Charles  Baird,  Henry  Peters, 
James  A.  Abel,  Peter  Duulevy,  Mrs.  Neilon,  and 
Mrs.  Martha  Smith.  Considerable  light  express  is 
sent  by  the  mail-carrier.  The  mail  is  forwarded  in 
summer  on  a  horse  or  mule,  but  in  winter  the  car- 
rier takes  it  on  his  own  back,  and  crosses  the 
deep  snow  on  snow-shoes.  This  is  sometimes  both  a 
dangerous  and  difficult  task,  and  in  the  winter  of 
1879,  Charles  Hooker  died  from  exposure  and  ex- 
haustion, while  carrying  the  mail  down  the  opposite 
side  of  the  mountain. 

The  water  supply  of  Etna  is  furnished  by  a  ditch 
from  Mill  creek  nearly  two  miles  above  the  town. 
This  furnishes  power  for  the  flour-mill,  saw-mill, 
furniture  factory,  brewery,  and  marble  works, 
besides  being  used  for  irrigating  on  some  of  the 
adjacent  ranches. 

Etna  contains  five  stores,  two  blacksmith  shops, 
three  hotels,  two  livery  stables,  two  carpenter  shops, 
one  flour-mill,  one  saw-mill,  one  marble  works,  one 
brewery,  one  furniture  factory,  two  markets,  one 
millinery  store,  one  weekly  paper,  one  church,  a  num- 
ber of  saloons,  and  several  neat  residences.  The 
oldest  settlers  residing  in  the  town  and  vicinity  are 
Abisha  Swain,  J.  C.  Campbell,  P.  A.  Heartstrand, 
George  Smith,  E.  P.  Jenner,  Joseph  Young,  Enos 
Young,  John  Smith,  Peter  Smith,  Alexander  Parker, 
Charles  Hovender,  James  Bryan,  A.  M.  Johnson, 
Jeremiah  Davidson,  Henry  Budelman,  O.  V.  Green, 
and  Daniel  Davis. 

A  Congregational  church  is  just  being  completed 
at  a  cost  of  $2,500,  and  subscriptions  are  being 
taken  by  the  Catholics  for  an  edifice  for  their  denom- 
ination. 

The  Etna  cemetery  is  situated  a  short  distance 
west  of  the  town,  at  the  base  of  the  mountain.  It 
is  on  elevated  ground,  which  slopes  gradually  and 
evenly  toward  the  old  Etna  road.  It  occupies  an  area 
of  about  ten  acres,  and  is  inclosed  by  a  substantial 
board  fence.  The  brush  and  large  trees  have  been 
cut  off  and  burned,  and  it  is  now  covered  with  a 
vigorous  growth  of  graceful,  neatly  trimed  black 
oak.  The  ground,  though  elevated,  requires  little  or 
no  irrigation,  and  when  more  attention  is  given  to 
beautifying  the  ground  with  shrubbery  and  orna- 
mental trees  it  will  present  a  picturesque  appearance. 
That  portion  nearest  the  road  is  the  public  biuying 
ground,  and  that  next  to  the  hills  is  owned  by  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  Masonic 
fraternities.  The  latter  was  fenced  and  laid  off  into 
lots,  walks  and  avenues  in  1871,  and  is  divided  by 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


215 


a  central  avenue.  The  site  was  selected  for  the 
burial  of  the  dead  in  1866.  Most  of  the  monuments 
were  made  in  Etna  from  stone  procured  near  the 
cemetery. 

A  log  cabin  was  built  by  the  Sons  of  Temperance 
at  Crystal  Creek  in  1855,  and  was  soon  pur- 
chased for  a  church  by  a  Methodist  Episcopal  society 
that  was  organized  there.  Rev.  D.  H.  Lowry  donated 
some  land  to  the  society,  and  a  parsonage  was  built 
upon  it.  The  land  is  now  owned  by  O.  V.  Green.  On 
Wednesday  afternoon,  May  1,  1872,  the  church  was 
burned,  and  Rev.  A.  Taylor,  the  resident  minister, 
lost  a  valuable  collection  of  books  and  manuscripts. 
A  new  church  was  then  built  near  L.  S.  Wilson's 
residence. 

OFFICERS    OF    ETNA. 

1878-79. 
Trustees — James  A.  Diggles,  Henry  Truitt,  J.  S. 
Beard,  A.  M.  Johnson,  Henry  Budelman. 
Recorder  and  Clerk — H.  W.  Sullivan. 
Treasurer — Abisha  Swain. 
Assessor — Martin  Marx. 
Marshal — N.  C.  Evans. 

1879-80. 
Trustees — John   V.   Brown,  J.   S.  Beai'd,  Henry 
Budelman,  F.  W.  Frantz,  R.  H.  Strasburg. 
Recorder — H.  W.  Sullivan. 
Treasurer — Abisha  Swain. 
Assessor — Martin  Marx. 
Marshal— J.  M.  Single. 

1880-81. 
Trustees — J.  S.  Beard,  I.  L.  Baker,  Jacob  Mess- 
ner,  M.  B.  Pitman,  F.  W.  Frantz. 
Recorder — H.  W.  Sullivan. 
Treasurer — Abisha  Swain. 
Assessor — Martin  Marx. 
Marshal — Lucius  Moxley. 

1881-82. 
Trustees — Thomas  Amos,  R.  H.  Campbell,  Henry 
Budelman,  R.  R  Taylor,  C.  W.  Kist. 
Recorder — H.  W.  Sullivan. 
Treasurer — Martin  Marx. 
Assessor — Albert  Wallis. 
Marshal — L.  H.  Johnston. 


CALLAHAN'S  AND  SOUTH  FORK. 

The  south  fork  of  Scott  river,  where  it  comes 
from  the  mountains,  became  the  scene  of  considerable 
mining  in  1851,  being  discovered  and  worked  by 
some  of  the  parties  on  their  way  to  Scott  Bar  and 
Yreka,  either  from  below  or  Salmon  river.  A  trad- 
ing-post was  opened  there  that  fall  by  Stinchfield  & 
Murch.  The  south  fork  has  always  been  a  lively 
mining  locality,  and  quite  extensive  mining  opera- 
tions are  still  being  carried  on  there. 

The  business  center  of  this  region  is  Callahan's,  a 
thriving  town  located  at  the  junction  of  the  east  and 
south  forks  of  Scott  river,  and  at  the  foot  of  a 
mountain  peak  known  as  Mount  Bolivar.  In  the 
fall  of  1851,  M.  B.  Callahan  came  to  this  place  and 
decided  to  locate  here.  He  built  a  small  cabin  and 
furnished  a  slender  meal  to  weary  travelers  for  one 
dollar  and  a  half.  The  next  spring  he  absented 
himself  for  awhile,  and  returned  in  June  with  his 


wife  and  opened  a  regular  hotel.  He  also  engaged 
in  the  business  of  supplying  meat  to  the  miners,  and 
opened  a  store  in  the  mines,  three  miles  above  his 
ranch,  selling  it  to  L.  S.  Wilson  in  1854.  The  cabin 
which  he  built  stood  in  the  dooryard,  just  east  of  the 
present  hotel  of  Hayden  &  Brother. 

On  the  seventeenth  of  August,  1853,  Mr.  Calla- 
han fileil  a  land  claim  on  his  location : — "Commenc- 
ing about  150  yards  west  of  the  junction  of  the 
north  and  south  forks  of  Scott  river;  thence  run- 
ning south  one-fourth  of  a  mile  to  a  stake;  thence 
east  one  mile  to  a  stake;  thence  north  one-fourth  of 
a  mile  to  a  stake;  thence  west  one  mile  to  the  place 
of  beginning;  the  said  boundary  not  to  exceed  160 
acres  of  land,  and  which  I  intend  to  occupy  and 
improve  according  to  the  possessory  laws  of  this 
State." 

Asa  White,  Masterson  and  Lyttle  bought  Calla- 
han out  in  the  spring  of  1855,  and  Asa  White  soon 
after  became  sole  proprietor.  M.  Sleeper,  Draper, 
Hamblin  and  R.  P.  Lacy  were  merchants  there  in 
the  early  days.  Mr.  Lacy  built  the  first  plastered 
house,  which  is  now  a  portion  of  the  residence  of  A. 
H.  Denny.  In  1855  Callahan's  became  the  termi- 
nus of  Greathouse  &  Sheer's  stage  line  from  Yreka, 
passengers  from  there  being  sent  over  the  mount- 
ain on  mules.  It  has  ever  since  been  an  important 
stage  station. 

Soon  after]White  became  proprietor,  a  post-office 
was  established  with  him  as  postmaster.  The  office 
has  always  been  kept  in  the  hotel,  and  is  now  held 
by  R.  M.  Hayden. 

Callahan's  now  contains  two  stores,  post-office, 
telegraph  office,  express  office,  blacksmith  shop,  hotel, 
school  house,  Catholic  church,  a  hall,  and  several 
residences.  The  trade  is  principally  with  the  adja- 
cent mines  and  the  surrounding  farms. 

Near  Callahan's  are  two  valleys  in  the  mountains. 
One  of  these,  Plowman  valley,  is  a  beautiful  spot 
owned  by  Alexander  Parker,  who  also  has  large 
mining  interests  on  the  river,  and  business  interests 
at  Etna.  The  other  is  Noyes,  or  Norris  valley, 
owned  by  Hayden  Brothers. 


QUARTZ  VALLEY. 

This  little  valley,  about  two  by  five  miles  in 
extent,  lies  in  the  mountains  at  the  lower  end  of 
Scott  valley.  W.  J.  Evans  took  up  a  small  ranch 
here  in  the  fall  of  1851,  and  mining  was  commenced 
the  same  fall.  In  1852,  there  was  considerable 
quartz  excitement  here,  and  John  M.  Shackleford 
and  Robert  Waldrup  built  an  eight-stamp  quartz- 
mill,  on  what  has  been  since  known  as  Shackleford 
creek.  In  1853,  B.  Johnson  built  a  saw-mill  on 
Shackleford  creek,  and  Edmond  Bean,  Johnson,  and 
the  Shores  brothers,  built  a  grist-mill  in  1854,  called 
the  Lafayette,  or  Shores  mill.  It  is  now  owned 
by  Camp  &  Co.,  who  purchased  it  of  Bean  &  Julien, 
in  1877.  There  were  a  store,  hotel,  and  blacksmith 
shop,  besides  the  mills.  The  hotel  was  a  large 
house,  kept  by  the  Shores  brothers.  The  first  store 
was  opened  by  Edward  Wicks. 

The  town  or  post-office  here  was  called  Muggins- 
ville,  and  in  I860  nearly  three  hundred  votes  were 
polled,  the  majority  being  by  quartz  miners  in  the 
vicinity.  Asa  Howard  was  then  postmaster,  and 
kept  a  store   and   hotel.     Another  location   in   the 


216 


HISTOKY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


valley  was  called  Pinery,  at  which  was  a  store  kept 
by  Aaron  Bar,  a  hotel,  and  several  saloons.  There  is 
not  now  a  saloon  in  the  vallej^. 

Among  the  men  early  interested  in  quartz  here, 
were  John  M.  Shackleford,  John  Hill,  Robert  Wal- 
drup,  David  and  Nathaniel  Burt,  Augustus  Kepler, 
Clark  Taylor,  Benton  D.  Howard.  Asa  Howard, 
John  Meamber,  Edmund  Bean,  J.  C.  Shores,  Will- 
iam Shores,  B.  Johnson,  Samuel,  George  and  Joseph 
Rice,  Edward  Wicks,  and  J.  W.  Jones.  For  a  long 
time  Mrs.  Asa  Howard  and  Mrs.  B.  Johnson  were 
the  only  ladies  in  the  valley. 

There  are  two  quartz-mills  in  the  valley  now, 
Johnson's  and  Turk's,  and  Camp  &  Co.'s  saw-mill 
and  grist-mill.  Considerable  wheat  is  raised  here, 
and  flour  finds  a  ready  market  on  Scott  river  and 
down  the  Klamath.  Dairying  is  a  leading  industry, 
and  a  great  deal  of  butter  is  made  here  annually. 

ORO  FINO. 

The  village  of  Oro  Fino  has  been  for  years  the 
center  of  a  prosperous  mining  community.  It  lies 
on  Oro  Fino  creek,  a  tributary  of  Scott  river,  and 
in  the  mountains  at  the  lower  end  of  the  valley. 
Like  most  mining  camps,  it  is  but  the  shadow  of 
its  former  self,  and  has  a  store,  hotel,  and  post- 
office,  with  a  small  population.  Two  hydraulic 
claims  are  being  worked,  and  a  small  quartz-mill 
is  in  operation. 

DEADWOOD,  AND  McADAMS  CREEK. 

The  old  town  of  Deadwood  stood  in  the  forks 
made  by  the  junction  of  Deadwood  and  Cherry 
creeks.  These  two  united  form  McAdams  creek, 
which  flows  to  Scott  river. 

Mining  was  first  done  on  Deadwood  and  Cherry 
creeks  in  the  summer  of  1851,  and  the  location  at 
the  forks,  known  as  Deadwood,  was  the  general 
headquarters  for  the  miners  who  lived  in  tents, 
brush  shanties  and  log  cabins  along  both  streams. 
The  number  of  men  working  here  in  the  spring  of 
1852  can  be  judged  by  the  fact  that  an  election 
precinct  was  then  established,  at  which  one  hundred 
and  one  votes  were  cast.  William  Davidson  had  a 
store  and  butcher  shop  in  1853,  and  William  Pool  a 
trading-post.  In  the  spring  of  1854  C.  H.  Pyle 
opened  another  butcher  shop  in  Pool's  building.  At 
that  time,  in  the  town  proper,  there  were  two  log 
houses  and  one  shake  house. 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  1854  that  a  Scotchman 
named  McAdams,  who  was  living-  in  a  tent  against 
a  log  a  short  distance  below  the  town,  found  rich 
diggings  on  the  main  stream,  which  has  since  been 
known  as  McAdams  creek.  This  resulted  in  adding 
materially  to  the  number  of  miners  in  the  vicinity, 
and  soon  made  Deadwood  second  only  to  Yreka  in 
importance.  Mr.  Pyle  built  a  butcher  shop  of  hewn 
logs,  which  still  stands.  Caleb  Gartrell  opened  a 
trading-post,  and  with  Nathaniel  Saw3rer  erected  a 
stone  building  which  is  still  existing.  Mr.  Maxy 
opened  a  boarding-house,  Alexander  Owens  a  livery 
stable,  S.  E.  Stone  a  store,  A.  B.  Carlock  a  store, 
and  others  had  shops,  saloons,  etc. 

The  town  increased  so  that  in  1856  it  cast  475 
votes,  and  the  next  year  was  the  scene  of  a  county 
convention.     It  then  had  three  stores,  two  stables, 


three  saloons,  two  hotels,  a  blacksmith  shop,  a 
butcher  shop,  a  bakery,  a  dairy  and  a  few  r'esidences. 
The  town  did  a  large  business,  but  was  itself  small. 
Few  resided  in  the  town,  but  the  miners  lived  for 
several  miles  up  and  down  the  creeks. 

Below  Deadwood,  about  two  and  one-half  miles, 
at  Hi  You  gulch,  was  a  little  place  called  Hard- 
scrabble,  after  a  claim  by  that  name  which  was 
taken  up  in  the  fall  of  1854.  It  had  a  wagon  and 
blacksmith  shop  and  a  milk  ranch. 

The  glory  of  Deadwood  began  to  fade  in  1858, 
and  the  town  of  Fort  Jones,  in  the  valley,  to  grow 
up  and  take  its  place,  so  that  in  a  few  years  the 
old  toAvn  had  diminished  to  almost  nothing.  Early 
on  Thursday  morning,  December  26,  1861,  a  fire 
caught  in  an  adobe  building,  built  for  a  store-room 
by  Zenas  Archer  and  Alexander  Owens,  and  burned 
nearly  all  the  town,  including  the  store  of  M.  Rosen- 
berg, the  principal  merchant.  Other  fires  soon  after 
destroyed  nearly  all  that  was  left  of  the  original 
town,  leaving  Deadwood  a  thing  of  the  past.  Fort 
Jones  is  now  the  trading  point  for  the  miners  still 
left  on  McAdams  creek,  though  there  is  a  post-office 
called  McAdams,  of  which  J.  B.  Tonkin  is  post- 
master, and  a  small  store  still  on  the  creek. 

Many  of  the  events  of  Deadwood  history  have 
found  their  place  in  other  portions  of  the  volume. 
The  small-pox  scourge  of  1854,  which  carried  off  a 
number  of  men,  should  not  be  overlooked,  nor  the 
fact  that  in  1855  a  vigilance  committee  cleared  the 
town  of  many  bad  characters.  Also  there  was  a 
miners'  trial  in  April,  1854.  Allen  Chamberlain 
shot  and  killed  a  drunken  man,  who  had  attacked 
him  in  Pool's  trading-post,  and  a  miners'  court  at 
once  tried  and  acquitted  him,  a  result  that  calls  for 
special  comment. 

INDIAN  CREEK,  AND  HOOPERVILLE. 

Although  but  a  short  distance  from  McAdams 
creek,  this  stream,  except  by  an  occasional  pros- 
pector, was  not  worked  until  June,  1S54,  although 
work  had  been  done  in  gulches  as  early  as  1853.  At 
that  time,  W.  G.  Rider  went  over  from  Deadwood 
and  prospected  along  the  creek,  satisfying  himself 
that  there  were  good  diggings  to  be  found.  He 
found  a  few  negroes  already  at  work  and  living  in  a 
rude,  brush  tent.  Besides  these  there  were  no 
miners  on  the  creek,  but  a  Boston  company  was 
working  in  a  gulch  and  had  a  cabin  there.  There 
was  also  a  cabin  in  Grizzly  gulch  occupied  by 
Joseph  Barker.  Returning  to  Deadwood,  Rider 
communicated  his  opinion  of  the  richness  of  Indian 
creek  to  Horace  Knights,  who  immediately  took  a 
pack-train  over  to  the  creek,  unloading  his  goods  at 
the  mouth  of  Hi  You  gulch.  He  fixed  up  a  tem- 
porary store-room  with  some  boai'ds  under  a  large 
pine  tree,  and  commenced  to  build  a  log  house. 
Attention  was  thus  attracted  to  the  creek,  and 
miners  began  dropping  in  and  taking  up  claims  on 
the  creek  and  in  the  gulches. 

Bears  were  quite  plentiful,  and  frequently  created 
a  little  diversion  for  the  miners.  One  Sunday,  the 
negroes  started  on  a  visit  to  the  store,  and  unex- 
pectedly came  upon  a  huge  grizzly  who  made  hostile 
demonstrations.  This  was  enough.  The  sons  of 
Africa  suddenly  discovered  that  their  business  at  the 
store  was  more  urgent  than  they  had  at  first  sup- 


W§0. 


-&'4*-' 


.r^ffl&i 


"^r-'-.iC.-U.— ; 


%S- 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


CONSTANTINE   CHARLES   O'DONNELL 

Was  born  on  Fourth  street,  in  the  city  of  Philadel- 
phia, on  Saturday  morning,  October  8, 1855.  When 
but  three  years  of  age  his  mother  left  him  in  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  with  some  friends,  his  father  having 
died  in  1857,  and  she  was  unable  to  take  him  with 
her  to  California.  In  1862,  his  step-father,  Francis 
Riley,  sent  for  him  by  a  gentleman  named  W.  S.  R. 
Taylor,  who  started  with  him  for  California  by 
steamer.  During  the  trip  he  was  taken  sea-sick 
.  and  remained  in  this  condition  until  he  arrived  in 
San  Francisco,  where  he  remained  three  weeks  to 
recruit  before  starting  for  the  mountains.  He 
arrived  in  Yreka  in  the  month  of  September,  1862. 
He  went  to  where  his  mother  was  living,  on  Green- 
horn, who  did  not  know  him,  and  was  compelled  to 
pull  down  his  shirt  to  find  a  mark  on  his  shoulder, 
where  he  was  scalded  when  but  a  baby. 

In  the  year  1863  he  started  to  go  to  school  at 
Yreka,  stopping  with  the  teacher,  Mr.  Benedict, 
during  school  days,  and  returning  home  on  Saturday 
mornings,  and  back  to  Yreka  Sunday  evenings. 
In  1865  his  parents  moved  to  Hawkinsville,  where 
Mr.  Riley  had  purchased  a  dwelling-house  and  store. 
Here  he  attended  public-school  until  1867,  when  he 
went  to  San  Francisco  with  his  mother,  and  attended 
a  private  school  on  Tenth  street  until  1868.  He  then 
returned  home  and  helped  his  step-father  in  the 
store  until  1870,  when  he  started  for  San  Francisco, 
and  entered  St.  Mary's  College,  and  finished  a  com- 
mercial course  in  1873.  On  his  return  home  he  was 
made  aware  that  his  mother  was  dead,  she  having 
taken  sick  on  the  fifth  of  May,  1873,  and  died  on  the 
eighth,  two  days  before  his  arrival.  After  that,  he 
worked  for  Mr.  Riley  in  the  store  until  November, 
1875,  when  he  started  for  San  Francisco  to  do  some- 
thing for  himself.  He  had  in  charge  a  prisoner  for 
San  Quentin.and  had  a  rough  time  going  down,  being 
delayed  a  long  time  on  account  of  high  water  in  the 
Sacramento  and  Pit  rivers,  hut  arrived  safely  at  his 
destination.  On  the  first  Monday  in  December, 
1875,  he  started  for  SacrameDto  to  get  the  position  of 
copying  clerk  of  the  Assembly,  but  arrived  too  late. 
After  stopping  at  that  city  for  about  a  month,  he 
went  to  San  Francisco  and  worked  in  a  corner- 
grocery  store  in  that  city  for  forty  dollars  per 
month  and  board,  where  he  remained  for  two  months. 
He  then  wandered  around  the  city  for  a  long  time, 
with  nothing  to  do,  and  finally  received  a  job  in  a 
pickle  and  fruit  factory,  belonging  to  Code,  Elfelt 
cV~  Co.,  as  receiving  clerk,  where  he  worked  for  small 
wages.  He  remained  there  until  business  slackened, 
and  then  went  to  work  for  Hawley  &  Elfelt,  grocery- 
men,  on  Sutter  street,  as  collector.  Here  he  received 
but  small  wages  and  stayed  but  a  short  time, 
receiving  a  position  in  another  house  on  Market 
street,  in  the  undertaking  business,  owned  by 
Flanagan  &  Gallagher,  whom  he  collected  for  until 
1877,  when  he  returned  to  Yreka  to  help  his  father 
in  the  store,  while  he  canvassed  the  county  for  the 
office  of  Sheriff.  After  Mr.  Riley  was  elected  sheriff, 
O'Donnell  managed  the  store  until  May,  1879, 
when  he  bought  the  stock  and  has  since  kept  the 
store  himself.  In  August,  1879,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Annie  Koester,  of  Hawkinsville.  May  14, 
1880,    his   first   child    was    born,   named    AVilliam 


Francis.  His  second  boy,  Frederick,  was  born  July 
16,  1881.  He  was  elected  a  delegate  to  attend  the 
Democratic  convention  held  in  Yreka  in  1880,  and 
acted  as  secretary  of  that  convention.  In  June, 
1880,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  enumerators  of 
the  tenth  census  for  Yreka  district.  Mr.  O'Donnell 
is  an  enterprising  young  man  and  a  leader  of  public 
opinion  in  Hawkinsville,  where  by  his  energy  and 
good  qualities  he  has  made  for  himself  a  good 
trade. 


CHARLES   FREDERICK  LEOPOLD  IUNKER, 

Son  of  Leopold  and  Anna  Iunker,  was  born  in 
Aschaffenburg,  Bavaria,  German}',  February  26, 
1825.  His  father  had  charge  of  the  forests  in  the 
employ  of  the  government.  Charles  attended  the 
common  school  until  twelve  years  of  age,  and  then 
entered  a  school  for  artisans,  from  which  he  went 
to  learn  the  brewing  and  distilling  trade.  In  1848 
he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  sailing  from 
Antwerp  to  New  York.  Going  to  Quincy,  Illinois, 
he  started  a  vinegar  and  soda  factory,  and  remained 
until  January,  1852,  when  he  came  to  California 
with  his  wife  via  the  Isthmus,  landing  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, May  28th.  He  took  charge  of  an  extensive 
brewery  belonging  to  his  uncle,  A.  Schuppert,  for 
three  j^ears,  and  in  1855  came  to  Yreka  and  started 
a  brewery  on  the  lot  now  owned  by  him  and  occu- 
pied by  Mr.  Winckler's  store.  In  1858  he  pur- 
chased that  and  the  Bella  Union  property  for  817,000. 
In  1861  he  erected  the  two-story  brick  residence  on 
Center  street,  a  view  of  which  can  be  seen  on 
another  page.  The  house  has  a  cellar  its  entire 
length,  and  gas  and  water  on  the  first  and  second 
floors,  and  cost  $10,000  furnished.  The  brewery 
then  stood  in  his  yard,  but  in  1865,  in  company 
with  John  Hessenauer,  he  purchased  his  present 
brewery  on  Oregon  street,  from  John  Miller,  who 
hail  bought  it  of  G.  Gamble,  its  founder.  In  1870 
he  became  the  sole  proprietor,  and  has  since  operated 
it.  About  300  barrels  of  beer  are  annually  made 
here  and  wold  throughout  the  county.  He  is  secre- 
tary of  the  Empire  quartz  mine,  incorporated  Jan- 
uary 10.  187S,  capital  $50,000,  and  by  his  energy 
has   contributed    largely    to    its  development.     Mr. 


Iunkt 


served     the     citizens    of    Yreka    in 


several  official  capacities.  July  29,  1851,  he  was 
married  at  Quincy,  Illinois,  to  Miss  Mary  Anna 
Roth,  daughter  of  John  and  Katharina  Roth.  They 
have  had  seven  children:  Charles  Adam, born  October 
21,  1853,  now  traveling  agent  for  Baker  &  Hamilton, 
of  San  Francisco;  John  Theodore,  born  August  31, 
1855,  died  September  3,  1855;  Katharina  Anna, 
born  March  lO,  1857,  now  Mrs.  James  Kiernan,  of 
Shasta  valley;  Maria  Dora,  born  November  22, 
1858,  living  at  home;  Emily  Louisa,  born  April  11, 
1860,  living  at  home;  Albert  Edward,  born  January 
9,  1862,  living  at  home  and  learning  tinner's  trade; 
Helena  Mary,  born  August  24,  1874,  living  at 
home.  Mr.  Iunker  has  alwa_ys  been  identified  with 
every  movement  to  advance  the  prosperity  of  Yreka 
and  Siskiyou  county,  and  is  both  energetic  and  enter- 
prising, and  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his  adopted 
country. 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


OLIVER   WARNER   GOODALE. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  son  of  Alanson 
and  Elizabeth  (Wilson)  Goodale,  and  was  born  in 
Ontario  county,  New  York,  April  3,  1831.  When 
he  was  six  years  of  age  the  family  moved  to  Wash- 
tenaw county,  Michigan,  near  Ann  Arbor,  where 
young  Oliver  worked  on  the  farm  from  the  time  he 
was  fourteen  till  he  became  of  age.  He  came  to 
California  in  1852  by  way  of  the  Isthmus,  and 
landed  at  San  Francisco  about  the  first  of  June. 
He  spent  three  months  in  Sacramento,  and  then 
mined  on  Auburn  ravine,  near  Gold  Hill.  In  March, 
1853,  he  came  to  Siskiyou  county  and  mined  on 
Humbug  till  1S55.  He  went  to  Scott  river  in  June 
of  that  year,  and  since  1857  he  has  been  butchering 
for  the  Scott  river  market.  In  1863  he  bought  the 
ranch  that  Wicks  and  Pool  took  up  in  1851,  and 
commenced  farming  and  stock-raising.  There  is  a 
section  in  his  home  place  and  he  also  owns  land 
elsewhere.  He  has  always  been  more  or  less  inter- 
ested in  mining.  May  31,  1860,  he  married  Mrs. 
Ruth  Chase,  daughter  of  Peter  Williams,  of  Wash- 
tenaw county,  Michigan.  She  was  born  in  Cayuga 
county,  New  York,  1831.  He  has  two  children, 
Alanson  D.,  born  June  5,  1861,  and  Carrie  A.,  born 
June  16,  1864.  Mr.  Goodale  is  one  of  the  substan- 
tial men  of  Scott  valley  and  Scott  Bar,  and  enjoys 
the  esteem  of  all  who  know  him.  He  has  never 
sought  political  honors,  preferring  a  life  of  quiet 
integrity  and  domestic  comfort.. 


FREDERICK   KOESTER. 

Of  veterans  of  the  Mexican  war  there  are  about 
a  dozen  in  Siskiyou  county,  one  of  whom  is  Fred- 
erick Koester,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  was 
born  in  Prussia,  March  15,  1826,  and  in  his  youth 
learned  the  trade  of  making  wooden  implements.  In 
1844  he  came  to  the  United  States,  landing  at  New 
Orleans,  from  which  place  he  went  up  the  Missis- 
sippi to  St.  Louis  and  engaged  in  farming  near  that 
city  for  a  year.  He  then  spent  a  year  in  a  sugar 
house  at  New  Orleans,  and  in  the  spring  of  1846 
enlisted  for  a  year  in  Company  A,  Light  Artillery. 
He  went  to  Santa  Fe'  with  General  Kearny,  and 
participated  in  -the  campaign  there.  At  the  end  of 
his  term  he  re-enlisted  for  a  bounty  of  twelve 
dollars  and  served  in  the  Mexican  campaign,  receiv- 
ing his  diseharge  at  Independence,  Missouri,  in 
October,  1848.  His  army  life  had  given  him  a 
taste  for  adventure,  and  the  next  year  he  started  to 
California  with  eight  companions,  reaching  the 
Sacramento  valley  by  the  Lassen  route  in  October, 
1849.  He  mined  on  Feather  river  that  winter,  and 
then  went  to  Amador  county.  In  the  spring  of 
1853  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  by  way  of  Panama  and 
New  Orleans.  September  17,  1854,  he  married 
Miss  Pauline  Krauser,  and  returned  with  her  to 
California,  via  the  Isthmus.  He  mined  at  Thomp- 
son's flat  (Oroville)  till  the  spring  of  1855,  and  then 
went  to  San  Francisco,  to  Crescent  City,  and  then 
to  Josephine  creek,  Oregon.  He  was  mining  there 
when  the  Indian  war  of  the  winter  of  1855-56 
broke  out,  during  which  his  family  suffered  many 


hardships  and  narrowly  escaped  falling  victims  of 
the  savages.  He  determined  to  leave  such  a  danger- 
ous locality,  and  the  next  year  went  to  Yreka.  After 
mining  there  a  year,  he  went  to  Long  gulch  and 
mined  till  1862,  when  he  moved  to  Hawkinsville. 
He  went  to  Idaho  that  summer,  but  came  back  in 
the  fall  poorer  than  when  he  left.  He  bought  into 
a  claim  at  Hawkinsville  and  continued  mining  until 
1879,  when  he  retired  from  active  labor.  He  is 
now  living  quietly  in  his  comfortable  residence 
at  Hawkinsville,  enjoying  with  his  wife  the 
fruits  of  his  years  of  toil.  They  have  had  thir- 
teen children,  eight  of  whom  are  now  living: — 
William,  born  September  7,  1855 ;  Annie,  May  12, 
1857;  Mina,  March  16,  1859;  Henry,  January  4, 
1861;  Frederick,  January  11,  1862  (deceased); 
Bertha,  March  3,  1865;  Louisa,  April  6,  1867 
(deceased);  Sophie,  December  3,  1869;  Albert, 
September  24,  1871;  three  who  died  in  infancy; 
Pauline,  December  8,  1878. 


JOSEPH  W.  JONES 


Was  born  in  Topsham,  Orange  county,  Vermont, 
September  13,  1811.  His  father  was  David  Jones, 
a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  a  farmer  till  his 
death  in  1870,  at  ninety-four  years  of  age,  in  Top- 
sham.  His  mother's  maiden  name  was  Abigail  Gul- 
lison.  She  died  ten  years  previous  to  her  husband, 
aged  about  seventy-five  years.  Joseph's  education 
was  received  in  the  public  schools  of  his  State  dur- 
ing the  cold  winters  of  that  rigorous  climate.  When 
twenty-four  years  of  age,  he  married  his  present 
wife,  Miss  Atlanta  Morrison,  then  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enteen. She  was  born  at  Groton,  an  adjoining 
township  to  Topsham,  August  14, 1818.  They  were 
married  at  Groton,  December  29,  1835.  Three 
children  were  born  to  them:  Lusetta,  now  Mrs. 
R.  D.  Stone  of  Scott  valley,  born  June  12,  1839 ; 
Abbie  A.,  now  Mrs.  O.  V.  Green,  born  March  26, 
1841 ;  and  David  W.,  born  May  1,  1843,  now  living 
on  a  ranch  adjoining  his  father's  property.  Shortly 
after  the  marriage  of  J.  W.  Jones  he  received  fifty 
acres  of  timber  and  meadow  land  from  his  father  in 
consideration  of  his  having  worked  for  him  until 
that  time.  On  account  of  ill-health  he  sold  his  farm 
of  one  hundred  acres,  in  the  spring  of  1845,  and  left 
for  the  West,  being  by  everybody  supposed  to  be 
hopelessly  gone  with  consumption.  He  settled  sev- 
enty miles  west  of  Chicago,  in  Boone  county,  on  a 
farm  of  eighty  acres,  and  his  family  arrived  the  next 
fall.  Mr.  Jones  continued  to  farm  there  till  1860, 
all  the  time  suffering  from  ill  health,  but  too  strong 
willed  to  cease  his  hold  on  life.  In  1853  he  had 
crossed  the  plains  and  taken  up  a  section  of  land 
eight  miles  west  of  Fort  Jones,  retm-ning  to  Illinois 
in  December,  1854.  In  1860  he  recrossed  the  plains 
for  a  permanent  residence  on  his  land,  his  family  ar- 
riving in  the  fall  of  1863.  The  old  gentleman  and 
his  son  David  manage  the  ranch  successfully. 
They  raise  cattle  for  the  market  and  carry  on  quite 
extensive  dairying.  A  view  of  the  place  is  given  in 
this  work.  The  climate  of  California  has  been  very 
beneficial  to  his  health,  which  at  his  time  of  life, 
seventy  years,  is  very  good. 


~'«mS&%tif: 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


217 


posed.  Each  one  thought  his  presence  at  the  store 
an  imperative  necessity,  and  each  one  seemed  imbued 
with  the  idea  that  he  must  get  there  before  the 
others  did,  and  all  were  unanimous  in  the  opinion 
that  they  must  get  there  before  the  bear  did.  The 
yelling  of  the  men  and  the  crackling  of  the  brush  as 
the  frightened  fugitives  came  crashing  through  it, 
brought  the  inmates  of  the  cabin  to  the  door  in  time 
to  receive  the  guests  with  open  arms.  They  all  got 
there  first.  It  is  said  that  nothing  but  the  curly  hair 
enabled  the  men  to  recognize  them  as  negroes,  so 
pale  were  they  from  fright,  and  that  it  was  some 
time  before  their  wonted  duskiness  of  complexion 
returned.  The  bear,  disgusted  with  being  treated  in 
so  cavalier  a  manner,  had  ceased  all  attempts  to  be 
sociable,  and  resumed  his  stroll  in  an  opposite 
direction. 

Miners  kept  coming  in  all  the  fall,  and  by  Christ- 
mas there  were  some  three  hundred  scattered  along 
the  creek,  and  in  the  gulches.  Early  in  1855  a 
store  was  built  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  further 
clown  the  creek,  by  Caleb  Gartrell,  and  the  new 
location  soon  eclipsed  the  old  one. 

The  new  business  point  was  named  Hoopersville, 
in  honor  of  Frank  Hooper,  an  old  locator  at  that 
point.  This  became  the  business  center  of  miners 
working  along  the  creek,  and  remained  such  until 
the  growth  of  Fort  Jones  took  from  it  the  trade  upon 
which  it  lived.  It  has  since  lapsed  into  a  store  and 
one  or  two  dwellings.  Most  of  the  claims  on  the 
creek  are  in  the  hands  of  Chinamen,  though  consid- 
erable quartz  prospecting  is  being  done. 


SCOTT  BAR  AND  VICINITY. 

The  history  of  the  discovery  and  early  mining  of 
Scott  Bar,  in  1850,  has  been  detailed  at  length  in 
another  place,  as  well  as  the  leading  historical  events 
that  occurred  along  the  river,  and  there  remains  but 
to  briefly  trace  the  career  of  Scott  Bar  and  its  im- 
mediate vicinity. 

But  few  men  spent  the  winter  of  1850-51  on 
Scott  Bar,  many  going  below  with  the  intention  of 
returning  in  the  spring.  James  Lindsay  is  now  the 
oldest  resident,  having  arrived  early  in  January, 
1851.  Benjamin  Jacobs  and  Sigmond  Simon  also 
arrived  there  among  the  first  that  came  in  the  sprang. 
Mr.  Simon  says  that  when  he  first  landed  there  he 
invited  his  crowd  of  twenty-seven  to  take  a  drink. 
The  treat  cost  him  twenty-seven  dollars.  The  price 
of  other  goods,  however,  was  not  so  high.  Among 
the  first  to  arrive  were  John  G.  Berry,  and  Theodore 
F.  Rowe,  with  a  pack-train.  They  opened  a  store, 
but  as  every  company  that  arrived  was  well  supplied 
with  provisions  and  tools,  there  was  no  market,  and 
flour  that  it  was  worth  fifty  cents  per  pound  to  pack 
from  Shasta,  sold  for  ten  cents.  Capt.  J.  B. 
Pierce  also  had  a  store  in  a  log  cabin. ,  Rev.  D.  H. 
Lowry  arrived  in  February  with  his  wife,  the  first 
white  woman  to  reside  in  the  county,  though  white 
emigrants  had  passed  through  years  before,  and 
built  a  shake  structure,  in  which  Mrs.  Lowry  kept 
a  boarding-house.  A  Sidney  woman  who  came 
soon  after  also  opened  a  boarding-house.  In  March 
the  strain  in  the  provision  market  was  relieved  by 
the  rush  for  the  new  diggings  at  Yreka.  Nearly 
every  miner  on  Scott  Bar  went  to  the  new  mines  in 


person  or  sent  his  partner,  and  many  of  them  re- 
mained there.  Their  places  were  soon  filled  by  new 
arrivals,  and  Scott  Bar  became  a  bustling  camp. 
Men  were  going  and  coming  all  the  while;  old 
miners  left  and  new  ones  took  their  places.  Judge- 
Steele  lost  his  tools  in  a  claim  in  February,  buried 
by  a  cave,  and  they  were  unearthed  a  few  years  ago 
by  the  Magofi'ey  Brothers,  in  their  hydraulic  work- 
ing of  the  same  ground. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1851  an  election  was  held 
at  the  bar  for  an  alcalde,  or,  as  termed  at  this  elec- 
tion, a  county  judge.  The  candidates  were  R.  B. 
Snelling  and  a  man  known  as  Buffalo  John.  It  is 
asserted  that  John  was  elected,  but  that  the  men 
who  canvassed  the  votes  counted  in  Snelling,  who 
was  indebted  to  them.  Snelling  served  for  a  time, 
but  indignantly  resigned  when  Judge  A.  M.  Smith, 
who  had  a  case  before  him,  had  him  sworn,  and 
then  asked  if  he  was  interested  in  the  case.  The 
people  at  once  elected  Smith  to  succeed  him.  He 
was  in  turn  succeeded  by  Dr.  Cook.  In  June,  1852, 
the  regular  justices  for  Scott  River  township,  Siski- 
you county,  were  elected.  They  were  Wil.iam  A. 
Patterson  and  Grove  K.  Godfrey.  The  constables 
were  James  Stewart  and  George  Townsend.  At  the 
time  Snelling  was  chosen  judge,  Gen.  R.  M.  Mar- 
tin was  elected  sheriff. 

The  original  Scott  Bar  was  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river  from  the  present  town  of  that  name,  and  a 
few  hundred  \  ards  above,  just  below  the  present 
bridge.  The  town  that  was  built  in  1851  sprang  up 
on  the  present  location,  because  there  was  a  better 
site  and  more  mining.  The  main  street  was  nearer 
to  the  river  than  the  present  one,  and  with  its  shake 
houses,  log  cabins,  and  canvas  tents,  the  old  town 
presented  quite  a  contrast  to  the  present  one. 

Besides  Scott  Bar  there  were  for  a  few  years  a 
number  of  mining  camps  along  Scott  and  Klamath 
rivers.  Each  bar  had  its  name,  and  most  of  them 
had  stores,  saloons,  and  hotels.  French  Bar,  just 
below  Scott  Bar,  was  a  large  and  thriving  place  for 
a  number  of  years,  though  now  desolate  and  for- 
saken. Holmes  Brothers,  Lynch,  and  Pine  each  had 
stoies  there,  and  in  1856  a  two-story  saloon  was 
built,  the  largest  and  finest  on  the  river.  Another 
important  place  was  Johnson's  Bar,  still  lurther 
down  t  e  stream.  Near  this  is  the  town  of  Simon- 
ville,  named  after  Sigmond  Simon  in  1854  He 
opened  a  store  there  with  Christopher  Nentzel, 
which  is  still  kept  by  Mr.  Nentzel  for  the  firm.  E. 
Fi.  Schofield  had  a  boarding-house  there  for  awhile. 
Other  places  on  the  river  were,  Poorman's  Bar, 
Franklin  B.r,  Lytle  Bar,  Michigan  Bar,  Sbipjack 
Bar,  Junction  Bar,  and  others.  Whiting  hill, 
named  after  Peter  Whiting,  wdio  still  lives  there  in 
a  little  c;ibm,  was  first  worked  by  Gen.  Joseph 
Lane,  on  Lane's  guleh,  early  in  1851.  The  gulches 
have  been  worked  out,  and  now  the  ground  is  only 
suitable  for  hydraulic  washing.  A  little  is  being 
done  in  this  wa}'  by  Whiting  and  others. 

On  Klamath  river  below  the  mouth  of  Scott  river 
are  a  number  of  old  bars,  the  principal  ones  being 
Mead's  Bar,  Hamburg  Bar,  China  Bar,  Walker  Bar, 
Masonic  Bar.  Fort  Goff  Bar,  Thompson  Creek  Bar. 
Below  Walker  Bar  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
Klamath  is  Sciad  valley,  where  a  little  ranching  is 
being  done.     A  few  miles  below  is  Sciad  post-office, 


218 


HISTORY  OF  SISKIYOU  COUNTY,  CALIFORNIA. 


where  Charles  M.  Bailey  has  kept  a  store  since  1861. 
By  far  the  most  important  place  was  Hamburg  Bar. 
It  lies  a  few  miles  below  the  mouth  of  Scott  river, 
and  was  first  worked  in  the  fall  of  1851.  It  was 
named  by  Sigmond  Simon,  and  on  the  day  of 
christening  a  flag  was  made  of  flour  sacks  and  red 
and  blue  shirts,  and  hoisted  on  a  pole.  It  was  an 
important  place  for  many  years,  and  from  1856  to 
1859  there  were  three  stores,  several  saloons,  and 
other  business  places  in  the  camp.  Dan  Caldwell 
still  keeps  a  store  at  Hamburg. 

Above  the  mouth  of  Scott  River  are  two  small 
mining  camps,  Virginia  Bar  and  Oak  Bar,  at  the 
latter  of  which  there  is  a  post-office. 

Scott  Bar  is  now  the  center  of  all  the  mining  on 
Scott  river,  the  first  and  the  last.  It  was  a  busy 
town,  with  several  stores  and  saloons  in  the  fall  of 
1855, .when  a  fire  destroyed  all  the  business  portion 
of  the  town  except  the  store  of  Dejarlais  &  Brother, 
now  the  cellar  of  Simon's  store.  In  this  store  A. 
Dejarlais  and  William  Robinson  shut  themselves  to 
fight  the  fire  in  the  rear.  The  front  was  closed 
with  iron  doors.  These  became  hot  and  the  interior 
of  the  store  soon  approached  the  condition  of  a  bake 
oven.  The  men  fell  insensible  to  the  floor,  and 
efforts  were  made  by  friends  to  rescue  them.  The 
door  was  forced  open  and  the  notorious  Bill  Fox 
and  Washington  Bruley  rushed  into  the  furnace 
within.  On  the  counter,  near  the  door,  stood  a  keg 
of  powder,  that  was  being  charred  by  the  heat.  Fox 
seized  this,  ran  to  the  street  and  set  it  down  care- 
fully in  a  pail  of  water.  He  then  went  back  and 
helped  bring  out  the  two  insensible  men.  One  of 
Robinson's  feet  was  badly  roasted,  while  Dejarlais' 
lungs  were  so  scorched  from  breathing  the  hotjair 
that  he  died.  The  stores  of  Dej arlais  &  Brother,  J.  M. 
C.  Jones,  John  Bostwick,  Charles  Yost,  and  several 
others  were  burned,  as  well  as  a  number  of  saloons 
and  shops.  The  town  was  rebuilt  on  the  present 
street,  on  higher  ground,  the  front  of  the  stores 
being  where  the  rear  was  before. 

In  1857  a  theater  was  built  by  John  Brecken- 
ridge.  It  was  a  frame  structure  with  gallery,  stage, 
scenery,  etc.,  and  was  visited  by  Lotta,  the  Chap- 
mans,  Christie's  Minstrels,  and  all  the  attractions 
that  visited  the  northern  end  of  the  State.  A  com- 
pany was  always  sure  of  a  large  house  at  Scott  Bar, 
for  the  miners  came  from  all  along  the  river. 

The  most  serious  time  in  the  history  of  Scott  river 
was  the  hard  winter  of  1852-53.  The  snow-storm 
commenced  on  Christmas  and  lasted  for  twenty-six 
days,  the  snow  lying  four  feet  on  the  flats  and  over 
thirty  feet  on  the  mountains.  All  travel  and  work 
were  at  an  end.  No  provisions  could  be  brought 
in,  and  the  supply  on  hand  was  quickly  exhausted. 
Dried  apples  and  beans  formed  the  staple  diet  until 
James  H.  Lindsay  and  a  companion  went  hunting 
and  killed  sixteen  deer.  These  were  eaten  without 
any  salt  or  seasoning  whatever.  When  the  storm 
cleared  up  a  party  started  to  break  a  trail  over  the 
mountain  to  Johnson's  ranch,  now  Meamber's.    They 


started  in  the  morning,  each  man  taking  his  turn  in 
the  lead  until  he  was  exhausted.  When  they  had 
advanced  two  miles  some  of  them  returned  to  the 
bar,  while  the  others  camped  for  the  night  at  Meam- 
ber's ferry.  During  the  night  two  more  feet  of  snow 
fell,  but  they  started  agaiu  in  the  morning.  They 
made  ten  miles  that  day,  some  of  the  time  crawling 
on  hands  and  knees,  taking  turns  in  breaking  the 
snow.  At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  they  reached 
the  summit,  where  a  consultation  was  held.  It  was 
decided  to  push  on,  and  about  half  of  them  reached 
Johnson's  at  nine  o'clock  that  night,  while  the  others 
came  straggling  in  one  after  another  till  midnight. 
They  each  paid  one  dollar  and  a  half  for  a  meal  of 
beef,  bread  and  potatoes,  and  thought  it  a  cheap 
luxury.  Many  staid  in  the  valley  several  weeks  until 
work  could  be  resumed  on  the  river. 

The  original  crossing  of  Scott  river  was  three 
miles  above  Scott  Bar,  on  the  trail  that  leads  to 
Meamber's.  A  bridge  was  built  there  in  the  fall  of 
1851  by  Joseph  Archambault  and  Augustus  Meam- 
ber,  to  take  the  place  of  the  canoe  which  had  been 
used  when  the  river  was  too  high  to  be  forded.  This 
structure  was  carried  away  by  the  floods  of  1852-53, 
when  a  skiff  was  used,  succeeded  by  a  ferry-boat. 
In  1857,  Joseph  Pickering  built  a  fine  bridge,  which 
also  succumbed  to  high  water  in  the  winter  of 
1861-62.  A  ferry  was  again  brought  into  requisi- 
tion until  1868,  when  the  point  was  abandoned  as  a 
regular  crossing.  A  bridge  was  built  at  the  present 
location  at  Scott  Bar  in  1855  by  Marfield,  Jacobs, 
and  Reinwald,  the  original  purpose  being  to  carry  a 
ditch  across  the  river  in  a  flume.  It  was  washed 
away  in  the  winter  of  1861-62,  and  a  ferry  took  its 
place  until  1875,  when  the  present  free  bridge  was 
built  by  subscription  among  the  citizens.  Below 
Scott  Bar  is  a  bluffy  point  known  as  Cape  Horn, 
above  which  a  suspension  wire  bridge  was  built  by 
Mapleson  &  Swift  in  1859,  and  a  wooden  bridge 
below.  These  stood  until  the  floods  of  1861-62  took 
them  away.  Since  then  travelers  have  forded  the 
river  in  low  water,  and  at  other  times  crossed  over 
the  hill.  A  bridge  recently  built  at  the  mouth  of 
the  river  was  destroyed  last  winter. 

The  largest  piece  of  gold  found  on  Scott  river 
weighed  187  ounces,  and  was  worth  $18.74  per 
ounce,  or  $3,504.38.  It  was  in  the  shape  of  a  fish, 
seven  inches  long,  and  was  found  by  James  Lindsay 
and  T.  L.  Wade,  January  27,  1855,  while  running 
a  cut  into  Whiting  hill. 

Scott  Bar  now  consists  of  a  hotel,  two  stores, 
butcher  shop,  drug  store,  blacksmith  shop,  saloons, 
and  residences.  Considerable  hydraulic  and  river 
mining  is  being  carried  on  in  the  vicinity.  The 
town  is  connected  with  Fort  Jones  by  Tickner's 
express,  which  makes  three  trips  a  week  with 
express,  passengers,  and  mail.  J.  B.  Leduc's  saw- 
mill is  also  near  the  town.  A  fine  school  house, 
and  a  good  bridge  across  "the  river,  are  both  the 
result  of  public  liberality. 


\tf